


Matters of the Soul

by theauthoress



Category: Haikyuu!!, Soul Eater
Genre: (where canon is soul eater), Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, M/M, Soul Eater AU, may be some more intense violence later on, this is going to be a RIDE
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-05
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2018-05-18 07:35:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 42,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5906662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theauthoress/pseuds/theauthoress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Hinata Shouyou enrolls at DWMA, he has one goal: to create the next Death Scythe. He'll do anything for a chance to fight evil and become the hero he's always dreamed of. But DWMA isn't exactly what he expects. Before he can even think of battle, he has to find a partner, which isn't as easy as he originally hoped.</p><p>Even with a partner, new threats are emerging. With the rise of the Kishin and madness spreading across the world, Hinata and the students of DWMA are in for the fight of their lives.</p><p>Note: You don't really need to know too much about Soul Eater for this, but a basic understanding would be helpful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Since it's canon that DWMA is in America, I kind of took a few liberties trying to balance the Japanese culture of Haikyuu!! with the American setting. So, there won't be any honorifics (besides possibly "Iwa-chan" later on. I haven't decided yet, but it might be too iconic for me to leave out), but names will still be presented family name then given name, and there'll be the same idea of familiarity with calling someone by their given name. Hope that makes sense.
> 
> I also was planning to do a little more in this chapter, but once I hit around 4k, I decided it might be best to just post it now and work on chapter 2.

Ever since Hinata Shouyou can remember, he had idolized the students of the prestigious Death Weapon Meister Academy. They're nothing short of heroes: demon weapons who could transform their bodies at will and the meisters who wielded them, joined in the pursuit of defeating evil and maintaining world order. Hinata's childhood was filled with dreams of one day moving to Death City and finding a partner to fight with.

He spent quite a few years with a habit of focusing on his hand, hoping one day it would give off the tell-tale glow of a demon weapon's transformation, to no avail. He wasn't discouraged, instead proclaiming that meisters looked cooler while fighting anyways.

At first, his parents dismissed his passion as a childish obsession, assuming it would pass. When it didn't, they became worried that Hinata would get himself into danger, and came up with plenty of reasons he should stay in Japan and get a nice, normal job, but Hinata had just worked even harder.

Finally, his parents sit him down and decide to discuss Hinata's very serious determination to go to DWMA.

"We're just worried about you," his mother begins, "You'd be all on your own, halfway across the world."

"I'll be okay," he insists, "DWMA is staffed by real Death Scythes and professional weapons and meisters. It's probably the safest place in the world!"

"And when you aren't in Death City?" his father asks. "It would be a different story if you just wanted to join the noncombatant class, but you have your heart set on fighting. That means plenty of danger, Shouyou."

Hinata swallows, trying to come up with a response, but with all the effort he'd put into finding a way to attend, he knows perfectly well that there'd be danger.

His father places a hand on his shoulder and says earnestly, "We're just worried about you." 

"I know," he relents, "but I want to help people." His fists clenches in his lap and he finds himself studying his hands instead of looking at his parents. "I want to make a difference."

His mother's hand covers his, and he looks up to see her smiling sadly. "We know, Shouyou. That's what we'll miss about you."

Hinata gaped at her. "You're... letting me go? I'm going to DWMA?" he says, hardly believing it himself. Then, he launches himself out of his chair to hug her tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise I'll be good and I'll write all the time and I'll make you proud!"

His mother laughs lightly and wraps her arms around him. 

"We know you will," his father adds. 

Hinata gives both his parents a dazzling smile and runs off to grab his already filled-out application. Soon, he's saying goodbye to his parents and his little sister Natsu at the airport, shaking with nervousness and anticipation, ready to board a plane to take him all the way to America, to Death City.

\--

And so Hinata finds himself in Death City, a suitcase by his side, staring at the school grounds. Black towers with red spires reach into the sky, with three large skull designs dominating most of the front of the building. It's larger than life, and Hinata feels like he could already touch it, but his eyes drift lower to the staircase between him and the school of his dreams. Although, to be fair, his eyes hardly have to drift low at all, considering he was still craning his neck to see the top.

He knows DWMA's staircase is famed for being long and brutal, meant to build the muscles of future heroes, but he isn't quite prepared for the enormity of seeing it in person. It could be over a mile of climbing, easy. 

Hinata grabs the handle of his suitcase and reminds himself of the biking and running he'd done in the mountains at home. He can handle this, too.

He starts climbing the stairs at a reasonably paced jog, but his impatience quickly makes him speed up to a full run up the stairs. It seems no matter how fast he goes, the school never gets any closer. His arm aches from carrying his suitcase, but he merely switches it to his other hand and continues on his way, trying to keep his breaths steady and deep. 

When he hears shouting behind him, he's so startled that he almost falls. After stumbling forward a few steps and securing his hold on his suitcase, he looks up just in time to see two students rush past him, yelling enthusiastically. 

"Ha! Eat my dust!" the shorter one in front shouts behind him.

"We'll just see who's at the top first!" the other replies. 

Hinata can only stare, mouth agape, as they sprint up the steps with no problems. _Real DWMA students..._ he thinks to himself, and breaks into a giddy smile. That would be him soon. 

Another shout from behind him startles Hinata back to reality, "Do you guys really have to do this every time?"

Another student approaches, slower than the others. He doesn't seem to be tired either, just exasperated with his two friends. 

The student stops next to Hinata. He's tall, muscular, and has brown hair pulled back into a bun. Hinata squeaks as the student's eyes turn to him.

"Ah, are you a freshman?" the student asks, gesturing to his suitcase.

"Yes!" Hinata says, a little too loudly and a little too fast. 

"I'm sorry if they startled you," the student begins, rubbing his neck. "They can be a bit... rowdy."

Hinata's shoulders start to relax as the student chuckles good-naturedly. He doesn't seem that intimidating once he actually starts talking, Maybe it's something in the softness of his voice or the nervous hand gestures that make him seem more human than hero.

"Do you mind if I walk with you?" the student asks. "I'm sure my partners will just wait for me at the top, and I'm not in a hurry."

Hinata nods, shifting his weight to get a better grip on the suitcase as they start to climb at a steady walking pace.

"I'm Azumane Asahi," the student supplies, then looks at Hinata's suitcase. "Do you need any help with that?"

"Hinata Shouyou, and no thank you. I can handle this," Hinata says determinedly. "After all, what's a suitcase and some stairs to a future meister?"

Asahi smiles at him, "Well, with that attitude, you're going to fit right in here. We have quite a few intense people here, though I can't say I'm one of them."

Hinata beams at him, and the two lapse into a easy silence, broken by familiar voices shouting as they reach the top of the steps.

"You totally cheated!"

"Did not!"

"Did too! Suga, tell him he cheated!"

Now that they had finally reached the top of the stairs, Hinata can clearly see the two other students that Asahi had arrived with. The shorter one has spiked hair with a dyed streak and is yelling at the taller one about cheating. The accused cheater has a buzz cut and gestures wildly as he defends himself. The two are watched by a third student with silver hair who's leaning against a small fold-out table that had been set up.

The silver haired student catches sight of Asahi and sighs in relief, sending him a desperate look that clearly said, _please deal with them._

"Transforming in the middle of a race is _cheating_!"

"You just made that up!"

Asahi sighs and goes over to talk to his friends, leaving Hinata standing alone awkwardly, watching it play out. 

"You're a freshman, right?" the silver haired student asks.

"Y-yes! Hinata Shouyou, nice to meet you!" Hinata almost bows, but remembers that this was America, so he stiffly sticks out a hand instead.

"Welcome to DWMA," the student says cheerily, shaking his hand. "My name's Sugawara Koushi, but most people just call me Suga. Would you like something to drink?" Suga steps away from his small table to reveal bottles of water and cans of energy drinks, as well as a small plate of sugar cookies shaped like the skulls that decorate the main building ahead of them.

"Most freshmen are pretty tired after climbing the stairs for the first time, so I set this table up for Freshmen Orientation," Suga explains as Hinata grabs a bottle of water and drinks half of it in one go. "Feel free to help yourself to the cookies as well."

"Where was this attitude five minutes ago?" Asahi's shorter friend calls out, the three returning from what seems to be a settled argument.

"Refreshments are freshmen-only, Noya," Suga replies with a roll of his eyes. "I know for a fact you don't need them after all the races you've had on these stairs."

He gives Suga a lopsided grin and turns to Hinata, "Enjoy them while they last, kid. Apparently, Suga gets stingier the better you know him." 

Hinata doesn't reply, unsure of how much of the friendly teasing is alright for a freshman to join in on. He does, however, take one of the cookies and bite into it. It melts in his mouth and Hinata understands why the shorter student had wanted one so badly.

"I'm Nishinoya Yuu, by the way. Second-year meister," he says, and then waves an arm at the two standing besides him, "You've met Asahi already, and the other one's Tanaka Ryuunosuke. They're my partners."

Hinata remembers Asahi calling the other two his partners, but only now does he understand the meaning. "You have two weapon partners?"

Nishinoya smiles proudly, "Yup. You're looking at DWMA's top trio. The three of us are kind of a big deal." He leans on the table and sneaks one hand closer to Suga's welcome-cookies.

"There aren't any other currently active trios," Suga deadpans, slapping Nishinoya's hand away from the plate of cookies without even giving it a glance.

But Suga comment doesn't register with Hinata, who is staring at Nishinoya like he's meeting a childhood hero. Which, in a way, he is.

"That is so cool!" Hinata says excitedly.

Nishinoya plants both hands on his hips with a wide smile, "I like this one," he announces. 

Tanaka puts Nishinoya in a headlock and messes up his hair. "You just like the attention," he says as Nishinoya laughs and pushes him. Asahi smiles fondly at their roughhousing and Hinata is struck with a strange yearning. This could be _him_ , when he finds a partner.

"What kind of weapons are you?" Hinata asks to quell the growing excitement. 

Nishinoya's eyes light up and he finally slips out of Tanaka's grip, "Why don't we show you?"

Hinata's heart nearly stops. He'd never seen a weapon transform in person before, let alone this close. He nods so vigorously he feels dizzy.

Nishinoya glances at Tanaka and Asahi, "You guys up for it?"

Their bodies turn into pure white light and Hinata struggles to keep his eyes open looking at them, not wanting to miss a second. Both lights streak towards Nishinoya, one collecting around his left forearm and the other slipping effortlessly into his right hand. For a moment the light is too bright to look at, and then suddenly it's gone, leaving Nishinoya holding a spear in one hand, with a circular shield strapped to the other.

Hinata gapes openly, "That's amazing!"

Nishinoya beams back at him, but Suga interrupts, "I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to see more of what DWMA has to offer, but you're going to be late for orientation if you keep humoring them. Not the mention the ego boost."

Hinata's astonishment quickly turns to horror. "Oh no! I've gotta go! Which way is the orientation?"

Suga gives him directions and waves as he makes a mad dash for the orientation.

As soon as Hinata is out of sight, Suga turns to Nishinoya with an eyeroll, "Show offs."

Asahi's voice echoes slightly from the shield, "Sorry, Suga. It made that freshman pretty happy, though."

\--

Hinata rushes into the classroom so fast he almost bowls over the teacher. He quickly jumps back and starts apologizing, but the teacher holds up a hand and assures him it's fine.

"I'm glad to see you made it. Hinata Shouyou, right? You're the last person on the list," he says, handing Hinata a pin with the word "Meister" written on it.

"Y-yes, sir. That's me."

The teacher gave him a patient smile, adjusting his glasses, "Great! The others are just getting to know each other, so please feel free to mingle before we start."

Hinata nods and quietly slips past the teacher, quickly attaching his pin to the front of his shirt. The room is filled with about a dozen or so other freshmen milling about. There's a pile of bags and suitcases near the front of the room, so Hinata places his luggage there and takes a nervous look around.

Everyone else seems to already be engaged in a conversation, and he isn't quite sure where to begin. Hinata had always been short, but he'd never felt quite this _small_ before. He's suddenly hit with the realization that everyone here is just like him, so how's he supposed to stand out? He'd attempted to try and figure out how his soul worked back at home, but he hadn't really had that much luck yet.

 _Snap out of it,_ he told himself angrily. _That's what you came here for. You're going to become the best meister, no doubt. So just go find a partner already._

No sooner than he takes one step towards the center of the room does he bump straight into a boy far too tall to be a freshman. Hinata yelps in surprise as he looks up at the boy face, a whole foot above Hinata's, jaw going slack.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't see you there," the boy says with an accent Hinata can't place.

Hinata feels a twinge of irritation bubble up. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?" he says defensively, straightening his back to appear taller.

"Nothing, nothing," the boy says, holding his hands out in a placating gesture. "I'm Haiba Lev, nice to meet you."

"Lev?" Hinata repeats. The name feels awkward on his tongue, unable to keep his Japanese accent from changing the pronunciation. 

"It's Russian," he explains, and Hinata realizes that must be where his accent comes from. "What's your name?"

"Hinata Shouyou. Did you move from Russia to come here?"

Lev shakes his head, "No, I actually moved to America last year, for my parents work." He takes a look around the room, "It's still a little hard to believe I'm here, though. It still feels so far from home."

Hinata smiles, "I know the feeling. I came from Japan all on my own to be able to attend."

Lev's jaw drops in shock, "No way! That's so awesome. I can't wait to start training here! Can you believe we're actually going to be working for Lord Death _himself_?"

"I know!" Hinata crows enthusiastically. He feels a warmness in his chest at finding a kindred spirit who's as ecstatic as he is. Then, his eyes fall to the pin over Lev's heart, and his expression falters the slightest bit. 

_Meister._

He can't deny he's a little disappointed that he'll never be able to try partnering up with Lev, but he pushes that thought aside and continues babbling with Lev about everything he'd heard about DWMA so far, and recounts his meeting with the Class Karasuno students he'd met at the stairs until the teacher calls for everyone's attention.

"Hello, and welcome to Death Weapon Meister Academy. I'll be your teacher this year. You can call me Takeda-sensei."

Hinata feels a strange surge of relief at the word _'sensei'_ , glad for a sense of familiarity so far from home.

However, his sentiments aren't wildly shared, as the other freshmen began to exchange curious looks.

"I know," Takeda-sensei says over the noise, "It's not that common in America to use 'sensei', but seeing as I'm from Japan and my partner and I were stationed there up until a few years ago, it makes me feel a bit more comfortable, and I'd appreciate you all using it." His smile is genuine and kind, and Hinata finds himself liking this teacher already.

"Now, I'd like to start off orientation by talking about the two types of courses we offer here at DWMA," he says, and grabs a marker to draw on the whiteboard on the wall. 

"The first class is called Normally Overcome Target," he says and writes the word _NOT_ on the board. "This is the non-combatant class for students who wish to learn to control their powers and lead otherwise normal lives or get a non-combatant job at DWMA or any of the organizations around the world run by Lord Death. It's the most common class, with about 90% of our students opting to take this course over our other, the EAT class."

Takeda-sensei writes the word _EAT_ on the other side of the board as he speaks, "Especially Advantaged Talent. This is the course for those of you who wish to serve Lord Death by hunting evil souls and creating a Death Scythe. It's the class that DWMA is most known for, but since it's not as popular, especially with freshmen, I will leave explaining the more specific details of the course and its purpose for a later time." 

He clasps his hands together around the marker and turns to give the freshmen another smile. "Now, all of you have indicated your preference of class in your applications here, but I want to assure you that none of those are permanent or binding. You can always can your mind. Your preference just lets us help match you up with someone aiming to be in the same class. That way, you don't feel pressured to take a course because of your partner."

"Currently," he continues, "All freshmen are enrolled in the NOT class, because the EAT class requires you to pass an entrance exam in which you need to have your partner. You can schedule the exam to move up to EAT at any time once you've registered as partners with the school. Any questions about the classes?"

A tall blonde boy with glasses raises a hand, but speaks before any acknowledgement from Takeda-sensei, "When can we register as partners?" 

Takeda-sensei looks slightly taken aback, "Well, I'm not sure you should be worrying about that right now. There's the matter of finding your partner first, and that's not a process you can rush into."

"But we've already decided to be partners," the boy says, gesturing to a freckled student at his side who looks slightly uncomfortable now that the room's attention is on him.

"You have?"

The blonde nods, "We already know that our souls are compatible. We tried it out before we came here."

Takeda-sensei adjusts his glasses and looks at the two students with new interest. "Really? That's quite impressive for students to be able to synchronize souls before having any instruction. What are your names again?"

"Tsukishima," the blonde responds.

"Yamaguchi," says the other.

"I presume you're childhood friends?" Takeda-sensei receives a nod of confirmation. "Well, I'll be sure to get you the proper forms as soon as possible. Thank you for informing me of this."

Jealousy claws at Hinata's throat. They've officially been students for less than an hour and these guys are _already_ partners?

"As for the rest of you," Takeda-sensei says, drawing Hinata out of his thoughts, "I'm sure you're all very anxious to be partnering up. I'd like to give you all a word of advice: this isn't something you can force. The best partnerships are built on trust, over time. You need to find someone who is compatible not only with your personality, but your _soul._ Your very being. Don't be discouraged if you can't find someone right away, and don't be afraid to try partnering up with someone you might not think is a good match. Sometimes, partners can be made in the strangest of places." Takeda-sensei's eyes light up in a way that makes Hinata wonder how he met his partner.

Hinata glances around at the rest of the freshmen in the room. Somewhere, his partner is waiting.

"You'll all be given chances to meet and get to know your fellow classmates. Also, don't worry if none of your classmates seems like a right fit for you. We tend to have a few students every year who wind up without partners, and it's not uncommon for students of different years to pair up. You'll be meeting some of the upperclassmen looking for partners soon, but we like to introduce you all to each other first."

"Now," Takeda-sensei continues, "As a little exercise to get to know each other, I'd like for you all to think of why you came here to DWMA. We'll go around the room, and I'd like you to introduce yourselves by your name and give us your reason."

Takeda-sensei starts with Lev. "I'm Haiba Lev. I came to DWMA because I want to help people."

Takeda-sensei nods kindly, then turns his gaze to Hinata.

"My name is Hinata Shouyou," he says, eyes glinting with determination. "I'm going to make the next Death Scythe." 

The blonde from earlier, Tsukishima, smothers a laugh behind his hand and Hinata turns to glare at him. He's ready with a challenge on the tip of his tongue when Takeda-sensei says, "It's nice to see we have some determination this year. I look forward to seeing how you progress."

Hinata calms down and listens to the other students give their reasons for coming. Yamaguchi just wants to control his powers, and Tsukishima figures he's already been able to wield a weapon, so he might as well. Other students talk about the jobs they hope to get, or famous weapons or meisters that inspired them to join. Finally, Takeda-sensei turns to three dark-haired boys on the other side of the room.

One of the boys has hair spiked straight up in a way that makes Hinata think of turnips. "I'm Kindaichi Yuutarou. I came to fight," he says.

The boy next to him gives him an unreadable look, then speaks, "Kunimi Akira. I'm a weapon, so there wasn't much of a choice in schools."

The last one stands a little apart from the other two, with intense blue eyes that don't focus on Takeda-sensei as he introduces himself. Instead, Hinata feels himself rooted in place as the boy's eyes stare him down.

"Kageyama Tobio. I'm going to be the next Death Scythe."

The look Kageyama gives him is a challenge, as if he's asking if Hinata is really up to the challenge of making a Death Scythe, and if he is, whether he'll beat Kageyama to it. Hinata's mouth feels suddenly dry as he returns the stare as best he can. Part of him realizes that with such similar goals, the logical move would be to try and partner up with him, but he can't let go of the sudden anger building in his chest as he stares down his fellow student.

He might not be a partner, but perhaps he could be a formidable rival.

Takeda-sensei, unaware of Hinata's newfound resolution, wraps up the class with a few words of encouragement and hands out room assignments, giving them directions to the dorms. 

Hinata looks down at the slip of paper he's been given, eyes drawn to the section that reads:

_Roommate: Kageyama Tobio._


	2. Partners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hinata has a confrontation with his roommate, goes to a party, and Yaku does not have a type. Shut up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AKA I wasn't even sure if I was going to add much YakuLev but here we are: the chapter.
> 
> Also, when it comes to pairings I have a lot planned for partnerships, but I'm not really sure how many of them are going to be explicitly romantic, so the tags may change based on how it goes.

Clutching the paper with his room assignment tight, Hinata follows the rest of the freshmen to the dorms, pointedly not looking at Kageyama. 

As the boys split from the group to enter the boys dormitory, Hinata risks a quick glance at Kageyama. He's still staring at Hinata like his existence personally offends him. Hinata looks away and tells himself that it's not out of cowardice; he just doesn't want to give Kageyama the satisfaction of another staring contest. 

Okay, maybe he's a little scared of him.

Just a little.

An upperclassmen from the NOT class welcomes them into the dorms and gives them a quick tour of where they'll be staying. The entire time, Hinata forces himself not to look back at Kageyama, all the while feeling his eyes on him. 

Finally, they make it to their assigned room. There's two beds against opposite walls, with a dresser at the foot of each, and one closet with spare hangers in it. Hinata dumps his suitcase next to his new bed and spins around to glare at Kageyama. "Can I _help_ you?" 

Kageyama is staring at him again, but he's not focused on Hinata's face. He's looking at the center of his chest, and it isn't with malice, but with frustration and confusion. Something about it makes Hinata feel exposed, so he folds his arms over his chest and waits for an answer.

"I don't get it," Kageyama says finally.

"Get what?"

Kageyama motions vaguely at Hinata. "How do you possibly think that you're going to make the next Death Scythe?"

Hinata openly gapes at him for a moment. "I--What?" he says, dumbfounded. "You must be kidding me."

Kageyama's glare clearly indicates that, no, he's not kidding.

"But!" Hinata continues, pointing at Kageyama, "You said the same thing! Are you a hypocrite or what?"

"It's not the same," Kageyama deadpans, fixing Hinata with a look like he's trying to figure out how dumb a person can be.

Hinata feel heat rise to his face as he tries to find the words to describe just how _angry_ and _insulted_ he is. 

Kageyama watches him fumble for words, grasping at his hair and then gesturing at Kageyama, until he finally turns around and kneels down to start unpacking his suitcase into his dresser. His hands shake with anger, but it's the only thing he can think to do to get Kageyama to stop staring at him.

He's almost resigned to completely ignore Kageyama for the rest of their years at DWMA when he glances up and finds that Kageyama is still waiting for his response, not ready to just drop the matter and let Hinata hate him in peace.

"So what makes you and I so different, Mr. I'm-going-to-be-a-Death-Scythe?" he says, shoving a shirt into the dresser with unnecessary force.

  
"You're weak," Kageyama says matter-of-factly, glancing down at Hinata's chest again.

"How do you know that, huh?" Hinata's voice is just under a shout and rising when he jumps up from the floor. "You've only met me today and we didn't even _do_ anything!"

"But your soul's weak," Kageyama tilts his head to the side, as if he's just realizing that Hinata doesn't know this.

Hinata blinks at Kageyama, unable to respond.

Understanding, then contempt, dawn on Kageyama's face. "Are you telling me that you're already planning to make a Death Scythe and you can't even use Soul Perception?"

"What's Soul Perception?"

It's Kageyama's turn to be speechless, and Hinata's not sure if that counts as a victory or not, seeing as Kageyama's looking at him like he's just achieved new records of stupidity.

"Well, are you going to answer?" he snaps.

"Soul Perception is the ability to see souls. Any good meister knows that," Kageyama grunts, fixing him with a withering glare. 

"Well I'm here at school to learn, you jerk. So what if I don't know everything about souls yet?" Hinata says, then pauses and thinks again about what Kageyama said. "Wait, you can actually _see_ souls?"

"Yes," Kageyama says. "And yours is weak."

Hinata recalls the way Kageyama's gaze had kept flickering towards his chest, and realizes that he must've been looking at Hinata's soul the entire time. It makes Hinata feel uncomfortable. It was bad enough when he thought Kageyama was just staring at the back of his head during the tour, but souls are a pretty intimate thing.

"Then I'll grow stronger," Hinata finally responds.

"Determination alone doesn't make a weak soul strong. You should find a more realistic goal. The NOT class is probably a better fit."

"Listen here," Hinata growls, stepping forward so he can jab Kageyama in the chest with his finger. "I did not learn english, leave my family halfway across the world, and come to this school just to half-ass being a meister." He punctuates each phrase with another jab. "I'm going to be in the EAT class, and I'm going to make a Death Scythe, and if you think I can't, just _watch me_."

Hinata breathes heavily. He hadn't fully intended to go off on Kageyama like that, but for all the effort he put in to get to this point, he isn't about to be dismissed by some other freshman before he even has his first class.

"Fine. Set yourself up for failure. It doesn't affect me anyways," Kageyama says, and turns to his own luggage to start unpacking.

Hinata stiffly moves to put the rest of his clothes in the dresser. His mind is racing, but he feels strangely calm, like his declaration to Kageyama finally cemented the fact that he's here and he's going to become a meister.

Soon, he heads off to the cafeteria for lunch and finds Lev. 

"You're rooming with that intense guy from orientation?"

"Yeah. _Kageyama_ ," Hinata says his name like the word offends him. "A real jerk."

Lev frowned, resting his cheek in one hand. "Man, that sucks."

Then, his eyes light up and he leans over his tray of food to say, "But I have something that'll cheer you up!"

"Yeah?"

"All the freshman who want to move up to EAT are invited to a party thrown by an upperclassman tomorrow."

"Really?" Hinata asks excitedly.

Lev nods. "After classes. It's so we can meet the students who ended up without partners after their freshman year. It's a tradition apparently. I think the freshmen staying in NOT have a different one they go to."

"How do you know all this?" Hinata asks, wondering if maybe he really is out of the loop when it comes to DWMA.

"Yaku told me!" Lev says cheerily. Before Hinata can voice his confusion, Lev points across the cafeteria. "That's him over there. Hey Yaku!" 

Lev proceeds to make scene, waving his long arms and shouting. The student he had pointed out looks around the room at all the other students whispering and giving both him and Lev strange looks. He starts making his way towards Lev and Hinata, pausing only to glare at another student trying to hide a laugh.

By the time Yaku arrives at their table, he looks both mortified and furious. "What do you think you're doing?" he hisses at Lev, setting down his lunch tray and ducking his head to avoid the curious gazes of the rest of the room.

Lev, completely oblivious, responds, "I was just telling Hinata about that party you mentioned. Tomorrow after class, right?"

Yaku looks like he just bit into something sour. "And that's why you called me over here in front of the whole cafeteria?"

"Yes?" Lev says innocently, shrugging his shoulders to signal that he doesn't understand what's wrong with that.

Yaku sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Alright. Just... Don't make a habit of this. I'm already behind almost everyone in my year because I don't have a partner. The last thing I need is..." He purses his lips and looks Lev up and down. " _This._ "

Hinata looks back and forth between Yaku and Lev as Lev pouts and loudly declares that he's going to be a great meister and that Yaku is lucky to be around to see when it happens. 

"How do you two know each other?" he interrupts and Yaku freezes with his hand held up, about to hit the back of Lev's head. He clears his throat and lowers the hand, opting to stab at his meal with unnecessary force instead.

"We met in town earlier today. I showed him the way to orientation and told him about the party when he said he was aiming to be in the EAT class." Yaku sets his fork down. "Anyways, Takeda-sensei said he'd tell all of you about it in class tomorrow, so I guess I'll see you there."

He picks up his tray and pointedly doesn't look at Lev when he asks him to stay for the rest of lunch.

Lev watches as Yaku walks towards a table of other upperclassmen and sits down. "I don't think he likes me."

"Do you want him to?" Hinata asks, confused by Lev's apparent interest in Yaku.

Lev shrugs, "I mean, I don't want anyone to dislike me. Still, Yaku seems cool, doesn't he?"

"I guess," Hinata says, turning his attention back to his food. Part of him wonders whether Yaku is a weapon or a meister, but it's not really for his benefit, he realizes. He glances up at Lev again, taking in his dejected look as he looks at the table Yaku is currently sitting at.

That night, Hinata sleeps with his back towards Kageyama in their shared room, mind wandering to the party tomorrow and what his future partner might be like. 

\--

Hinata was practically buzzing with excitement as he entered the classroom. Takeda-sensei was already at the front of the room, shuffling through notes as the class slowly filled with students.

He took a seat near the front of the room, looking forward to school for the very first time.

Class started with Takeda-sensei drawing a shape on the board that looked like a circle with a wispy tail coming out of the top of it. 

"Here at DWMA, whether you're a weapon or meister, your most powerful asset is your soul. It's what connects you with your partner, the source of your power, and most importantly a healthy soul is what keeps you human." He begins to write a sentence above the soul and Hinata recognizes it from the brochures he'd received on enrolling. 

"A sound soul resides in a sound mind and a sound body," Takeda-sensei says as he writes. "This is DWMA's principal teaching. The only difference between anyone in this room and the evils we fight against is your soul."

The room sombers and Takeda-sensei turns to face them. He looks into each of their eyes, and once satisfied, he smiles and the tension in the room deflates. "All of your souls are filled with potential, and in time, all of you will learn to control and harness that potential. The soul is a powerful thing, for both good and evil, so be sure to use yours the right way."

Hinata wonders if Takeda-sensei can use Soul Perception. He must be able to, if he's skilled enough to be a teacher here. And if he says their souls are all filled with potential, certainly Kageyama is wrong about Hinata's. He'll become a great meister, and surpass Kageyama.

"Now, there are two ways in which partners' souls can work together," Takeda-sensei continues. "Synchronization and resonance. You will all learn to synchronize your soul with your partner, but resonance is a more advanced technique that not everyone uses."

"Synchronization is necessary for a meister to wield a weapon, and certain souls are more compatible than others, though you can work to improve how well you synchronize with someone. It's based both on the innate nature of a soul and the personal relationship between partners. You'll find that partners who've been together long enough become near inseparable because of the strong connections between their souls."

A student--Hinata thinks he recognizes him as Kunimi from orientation--raises his hand. "What happens when a meister tries to wield a weapon but can't synchronize with them?"

"Ah, yes. That would result in a _rejection_ ," Takeda-sensei replies, adjusting his glasses nervously. "Rejection can be highly unpredictable and sometimes dangerous, which is why all training with a new partner will be supervised by myself or another staff member. Attempting to use a weapon who is incompatible causes a huge stress on the meister, mentally and physically."

Takeda-sensei returns to talking about the nature of souls and how they are able to synchronize. Hinata barely understands it, but he writes down as much as he can, determined to do well even if he'd never been good at school or studying before.

Before he knows it, the school bell chimes and Takeda-sensei holds the class for a moment longer. "Before you all leave, there are going to be two parties tonight hosted by some of the upperclassmen students: one for those planning on staying in NOT, and one for those planning on moving up to EAT. I have the locations and times at my desk, so please stop by and grab one on your way out."

When Hinata grabs a slip of paper for the EAT class party, he's surprised to find that the location listed is an address in downtown Death City, not anywhere in the school.

He stumbles forward as Lev comes up from behind him and throws an arm around his shoulders. "I'm so pumped! We should head over there together."

"Yeah!" Hinata says, smiling and regaining his balance. He and Lev walk out of the class together, excitedly chattering about what the upperclassmen might be like.

\--

Hinata meets Lev at the top of the stairs. It's only after they start descending the stairs that Hinata begins to hate Lev's height. His long legs allow him to take the stairs two at a time without even breaking a light walking pace. Hinata tries to hide the energy it takes to keep up with him, which is harder than actually keeping up with him.

When they reach the bottom of the stairs, they are both breathing heavier than usual, but neither complains. Hinata pulls out the address for the party and shows it to Lev.

"So... Which way is it?"

Lev shrugs and looks around. "Do you think there's anyone around we could ask?"

There doesn't seem to be anyone around, but there's only one road leading away from the staircase, so they begin to follow it, hoping to run into someone soon.

Luck is on their side when they enter what seems to be a small square full of shops and Hinata spots a familiar face with a bag of groceries hanging from his elbow.

"Suga!"

Suga jumps when his name is called and quickly turns to look at them, surprise written all over his face. Hinata realizes that Suga might not recognize him, considering he'd probably spoken with all the freshmen as they got to the top of the stairs.

But Suga walks over to them, his initial surprise fading just as quickly as it had come on. "Oh, Hinata. You startled me." 

He gives Lev a long look, scrunching his nose up in concentration. "Wait, don't tell me... You're... Lev, right?"

Lev nods excitedly at being remembered. "We're lost!" he announces cheerfully.

Hinata holds up the address helplessly and Suga takes it from him. "You're going to the party for freshmen heading into EAT, right? Class Nekoma's throwing that this year. I think it's at Yamamoto and Inuoka's place." He looks at the slip of paper and nods to himself. "Yeah, it's this way. I can walk you, if you'd like. I'm headed that way too."

"Thank you so much," Hinata says as Suga begins to lead them towards what seems to be a residential district of the city. Shops become scarcer, and small houses and apartment buildings line the streets. Suga leads them to one of the apartment buildings: a small two-story building with stairs on the outside leading up to numbered rooms. 

Suga leads them up the stairs and knocks on one of the doors.

"I've brought you lost freshmen," he says cheerily as the door opens to reveal a tall student with a bleached mohawk. 

"Sugawara?" Another student with spiked brown hair comes to the door, peeking over the first's shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

The first student steps aside to let the three newcomers into the apartment. It's roomier than Hinata expected, but still small enough that he has to wonder how many people will actually be showing up to the party. The room they're in is a living room with a kitchenette at one side, with one hallway leading out of it, presumably towards bedrooms and a bathroom. There are a few people already milling around, but it doesn't look like the party's started quite yet.

Suga leans against the counter, perfectly comfortable, and adjusts his grip on his grocery bag. "I just dropped in to help these two find their way. Hinata, Lev, meet Yamamoto and Inuoka," he says, gesturing at the student with the mohawk and then the one with spiked hair.

"Don't go trying to snatch recruits from Nekoma," Yamamoto says. "It's our turn to host the freshmen, so Karasuno can back off."

Suga laughs lightly. "Alright, alright. I've got to get back home and start dinner, anyways," he says, lifting the grocery bag. "But just remember Nekoma can't get _all_ the new EAT students. Karasuno won't just be sitting back and waiting for you guys to get your pick." His smile is just as sweet, but there's a hint of playfulness behind it. "Every class needs new recruits."

"Say hi to Daichi for me," Inuoka says as Suga makes his way back out the door.

"Will do. Have fun, you two," Suga says, directing the last statement at Hinata and Lev. "See you around."

Both Hinata and Lev wave enthusiastically until he's gone.

"So, Suga said your names are Hinata and Lev?" Inuoka asks.

"I guess this one must be Lev," Yamamoto says with a grin, elbowing Lev's side.

"Huh? How'd you know?" Lev asks.

Yamamoto laughs, loud and boisterous, and Inuoka chuckles behind his hand. "Well, you're the one who matches Yaku's description of 'annoying giant'," Inuoka says. 

"You know Yaku?" Lev says, sounding more pleased than he should be about Yaku's description of him. "Wait, he talks about me?"

Yamamoto and Inuoka share knowing looks, but before they can say anything, one of the other guests shouts across the room.

"Oi, Yamamoto! Are you actually going to start the party or what?"

"I'm getting to it, Kuroo!" Yamamoto shouts back. He excuses himself to go put on some music and Inuoka turns to the kitchen counter, finishing up the snacks and drinks that had only been half-arranged when they got there. He offers them each a cup of punch, which they accept, then goes to socialize with some of the other guests.

It doesn't take long until all the guests have arrived. There are only eight freshmen aiming to be in the EAT class this year. Besides Hinata and Lev, Kageyama is there, and he arrives with Kindaichi and Kunimi. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi ended up declining their invitations, since they're already partners. The last freshman is a boy Hinata believes is named Kyoutani, who avoids most of the others for the duration of the party.

Hinata is disappointed to find that there are only three upperclassmen looking for partners: Yaku, the student named Kuroo that Yamamoto had been arguing with over music, and a boy named Yahaba. He's already decided that partnering with Yaku would be rude to Lev, and Kuroo is also a meister. Hinata might've tried speaking to Yahaba if he hadn't been talking to Kyoutani since he arrived.

In the end, Hinata finds himself the odd man out, and contents himself with avoiding Kageyama's gaze and listening to Yamamoto and Inuoka, who have trapped Yaku between them and are talking with Lev.

"We've heard plenty about you. Did you really make a scene in front of the whole cafeteria?" Yamamoto asks.

Lev just shrugs, "How else was I supposed to get his attention?"

Yamamoto bursts into laughter, leaning heavily on Yaku, who glares at him with his face beginning to turn red. He pushes Yamamoto off his shoulder, but Inuoka is already on his other side, leaning forward to tell Lev, "You seem to really like Yaku. You should really try and sync."

"Yeah!" Yamamoto joins in. "It's about time Yaku got to the EAT class with us!" 

"Don't go making decisions for me!" Yaku says, face as red as it had been in the cafeteria, though whether it was out of embarrassment or frustration, Hinata couldn't tell.

"Our little Yaku's growing up so fast!" Yamamoto pretends to wipe a tear from his eye, then lets out a short pained sound as Yaku kicks him in the shin.

"C'mon, Yaku. We're just joking around," Inuoka says, but Yaku is already storming off, muttering under his breath. Hinata catches the words _'stupid', 'tall',_ and _'annoying'_ as he passes.

Yaku leans against the wall as far away from Yamamoto and Lev's shouting as possible. "Annoying..." he mutters to himself, looking down at his shoes.

"Having fun?"

Yaku looks up and immediately regrets it. Kuroo's amused smirk is the last thing he needs right now. "Yamamoto's a nightmare and he's teamed up with a freakishly tall freshman to make my life as hard as possible," he deadpans. Kuroo laughs.

Yaku shifts as Kuroo leans on the wall next to him, a drink in one hand as his eyes scan the room with a look that can only be described as scheming.

"Lev, huh?" Kuroo says, and Yaku feels his eyebrow twitch in annoyance at his suggestive tone.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Surprisingly, Kuroo complies immediately. "Alright, let's talk about last year."

"I--Huh?" Yaku stares blankly at him.

"You remember that guy you used to hang out with? The one you tried to pretend you weren't totally into?"

Yaku narrows his eyes, and chides himself for thinking he might get off easy with Kuroo. "Yes, I remember him," he says at length.

"Well, I was just thinking," Kuroo says casually, taking a sip from his drink. "Tall. Green eyes. Are you sure you don't have a type?"

It takes all the willpower Yaku has not to tip Kuroo's drink over his head.

"I--You! How could you even think--! _I do not have a type!_ " Yaku splutters instead. "And if I did, it wouldn't include annoying freshmen who follow me around like a stray cat!"

Kuroo shrugs. "Maybe you like the attention."

"I do not."

"Well, you sure seem determined to make sure everyone thinks that."

"Has anyone ever told you that you have an awful personality?"

"Yes," Kuroo says matter-of-factly and winks at Yaku.

"Are all of my friends out to get me?"

"Possibly," Kuroo says, then looks back over at Yamamoto and Inuoka with Lev. Yamamoto has his arms around Lev's shoulder and Kuroo can hear Yaku's name being mentioned. "Probably," he amends.

"Well what about you? Still haven't put in the effort to find a weapon I see."

Kuroo shrugs. "It's not that I haven't found one it's just that..."

"You haven't found one that measures up to your mystery weapon," Yaku finishes. 

"It's harder to find a weapon the second time around, apparently," Kuroo says, and there's something genuine in his voice. Yaku is almost mad at himself when he can't stay annoyed with him.

Yaku traces a finger over the lip of his own drink. "I don't suppose you're ever going to tell us about them? This weapon that's got you so wrapped up that you can't even find another partner?"

"Sync with Lev and maybe I will." Kuroo's grin is back, but Yaku doesn't quite believe it. It's too forced.

"You're hilarious," Yaku says flatly. He glances over at Lev. Now that the thought's in his head, he guesses that Lev's lanky build and carefree smile could be endearing. Except that's he's annoying.

Lev catches his glance from across the room and waves, using his whole arm as if Yaku isn't in the same room as him, his face lighting up when Yaku gives a small wave back. It's only to make him stop.

_Annoying._


	3. Synchronize

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which some partnerships are steady over a long time, and some begin in a single moment. Others crash and burn, and some are still to develop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello friends and welcome to Yaku-Is-Gayer-Than-I-Originally-Anticipated Part 2
> 
> also, my tumblr is [basementtreasure](http://basementtreasure.tumblr.com/)  
> feel free to talk to me about the au, i'll answer anything that isn't a spoiler. also, i plan to post some art of this fic there too.

Daichi knows Suga arrived to the classroom before him by the whispers that float out into the hallway.

"Isn't that the cookie guy?"

"The one from the steps?"

"Yeah, I remember him. What's he doing here?"

Daichi enters the NOT class to see Suga amicably chatting with Takeda-sensei at his desk while a group of freshmen try to be subtle about their conversation.

"The cookie guy?" Daichi says when Suga and Takeda-sensei's conversation comes to a pause. Though his comment is directed at Suga, the freshman who said it blushes and hides behind their notebook.

"You're just jealous that my cookies are so fantastic that everyone remembers me," Suga says with a grin.

Takeda-sensei speaks to them before Daichi has time to respond, "Thank you both for coming in today."

"It's no problem," Daichi assures him. "We're always happy to help."

Daichi moves to stand next to Suga at the side of Takeda-sensei's desk so that they don't block Takeda-sensei when he starts the class. Suga waves and says hello to almost every freshman that enters the room, and most of them wave cheerily back and greet him.

"You're loving this, aren't you?" Daichi says with a knowing smile as two students--one short with orange hair, the other tall with light hair--walk to their seats after thanking Suga for giving them directions.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he says innocently. Daichi chuckles and knocks his shoulder against Suga's and Suga responds with a punch to the arm that Daichi pretends doesn't sting. 

Takeda-sensei begins his class, so Daichi and Suga quiet down and wait to be introduced.

"I have a special treat for you all today," Takeda-sensei says. "A pair of partners from one of the EAT classes has volunteered to do a demonstration on soul synchronization for you. This is Sugawara and Sawamura of Class Karasuno. Please give them your full attention."

Suga meets Daichi's gaze and there's a glint in his eyes, the thrill of syncing that never really goes away, no matter how often they do it. Daichi returns his smile and holds up his hand, which Suga grabs with his own. Suga turns into a white light and the sensation in Daichi's palm shifts until he feels the familiar weight of a broadsword hilt. 

Daichi has always thought that Suga's weapon form was beautiful despite its plainness, or maybe because of it. The hilt is silver and polished, with a leather grip worn just enough to feel perfectly comfortable in his hand, yet still maintain its appearance. The base of the blade has a simple yet elegant pattern engraved into it, which transforms seamlessly into the central ridge of the glinting blade. It fits Suga well: reliable, honest, and familiar.

He takes a step forward, swinging the perfectly balanced blade a few times more than he normally would to warm up, so that the freshman have a chance to see a weapon being used up close. Some of them gape at him in varying states of shock and wonder.

"The important thing for a meister to remember is that your partner isn't just a _weapon_ ," he explains, and a few freshmen jot down notes. "At first, the change in form can make it difficult to fully appreciate your partner--"

"But that doesn't mean they aren't still with you fighting," Suga finishes for him, a flash of warm brown eyes appearing in the light glinting off the edge of the blade. 

A freshman sitting in the back raises a hand, "What does it feel like to synchronize your soul with your partner?"

Daichi pauses. Syncing with Suga is as natural as breathing to him by now, so it takes him a moment to find any words that can describe it. He focuses on the feeling of Suga's soul, and though there is no physical feeling to a soul, he can't help but think of the word 'warm'. It's a bit like a blanket, comforting and gentle.

Instead of voicing his strange metaphor, Daichi says, "The feeling of syncing is more emotional than physical. Syncing is based on trust and respect for your partner, and having someone so close to your soul is... _intimate_ , I guess."

"The first few times might make you feel awkward or vulnerable," Suga offers. "But as a partnership develops, it begins to feel like second nature, and the way you perceive syncing becomes tied with how you feel about your partner, which is why you might notice that most partners who have been working together for some time become almost inseparable."

"How long have you two been partners?" asks another freshman. 

"Three years," Daichi responds as Suga transforms back into human form, since the class has shifted their focus from the demonstration to asking questions.

"How did you know you could synchronize?" 

"Well, as long as you can hold a weapon without a rejection happening, it means you're in sync," Daichi says. "Though even if your soul wavelengths are in sync, you also want to try and find someone who you work well with on a personal level."

"Who controls the synchronization?"

"I wouldn't say anyone _controls_ a sync," Suga says, furrowing his eyebrows. "Everyone has their own style of syncing, and sometimes one partner guides the other, but if you're even attempting to take complete control over it... Well, I've never heard of a case like that that doesn't end in a rejection."

"Personally, we tend to share control evenly," Daichi adds, attempting to steer the conversation towards a lighter tone. "That's how most people usually say you should do it, but honestly as long as both meister and weapon are comfortable with their syncing style, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Thank you both so much for taking the time to come," Takeda-sensei says after a beat in which no one asks questions. "But I'm sure you're both wanted back in your own class by now."

Takeda-sensei has the class thank them for their time before they exit, and Daichi catches a whisper before they're out of the door: "I wish I'd asked him for his cookie recipe."

\--

"Yaku! Wait up!"

Yaku immediately recognizes the over-excited voice and clenches the books in his hands tighter. It's only the second day of classes and this is the fourth time Lev has inserted himself into Yaku's life. It might've been even more if he hadn't avoided the cafeteria during breakfast and lunch after yesterday's fiasco. He considers pretending not to hear Lev, but that plan is foiled before it can begin when he finds that Lev is already standing directly in his path.

  
_Damn long legs,_ Yaku fumes to himself. "Yes?" he says, snappier than he really means to.

"There's going to be a practice this afternoon for synchronization. It's the first time freshmen get to try and partner up for real, and I was wondering if you would come." Lev clasps his hands in front of him in a pleading gesture. "Please say yes! I really want to try synchronizing with you!"

Yaku opens his mouth but no sound escapes. Just how set is Lev on being his partner? Yaku can't seem to make any sense of it, and while he's somewhat flattered by the attention, he's mostly annoyed and confused. Still, a part himself reminds him that partnering with Lev means moving out of the NOT class, and he's running out of classes he can take without a partner.

He's still working his jaw when another loud-mouth bent on ruining his life turns the corner.

"Well, if it isn't our favorite freshman and Yaku!" Yamamoto says, Inuoka at his side. "What's going on here? Something you'd like to tell us, Yaku?"

"Ignore him," Inuoka says, before turning to smile at Lev. "Nice to see you again."

Lev greets them both enthusiastically and Yaku steels himself for a repeat of the party.

"I was just asking Yaku to try and synchronize with me," Lev explains, and Yaku can feel his day dive right off a cliff. Now Yamamoto and Inuoka would be involved, and he'd be downright shocked if they didn't drag Kuroo into it as well.

Yamamoto's reaction is surprisingly genuine when he smiles, "Really? Yaku, that's awesome! Don't tell me you're even _thinking_ of saying no."

Yaku shrugs and averts his eyes, knowing there's no real reason why he shouldn't at least try, but still inexplicably reluctant to agree.

"Yaku, you've been waiting a whole year for the next freshman class so you could find a partner," Inuoka says. "This is the perfect opportunity."

Yaku takes in the sincerity of his friends faces and the innocent excitement of Lev's and realizes there's no way out of this. "Fine," he says at length. "We'll try this afternoon."

  
_At least if we prove we're not compatible, everyone will shut up about Lev_ , he thinks to himself, not believing it for one second.

"What time is it, anyways?" Yaku asks, realizing that it's already afternoon.

"Oh, it's--" Lev glances down at his watch and pales for a moment. "In fifteen minutes. And, um, all the way across campus," he offers weakly. Before he can say another word, Yamamoto and Inuoka are pushing him and Yaku roughly through the hallway.

At Yamamoto's shout to run, Lev grabs Yaku by the hand and Yaku has to sprint to keep up with him, privately cursing Lev's long legs yet again. Inuoka and Yamamoto disappear, announcing that they're going to find Kuroo for 'moral support', and then it's just Yaku and Lev.

They get to the field where outdoor training is usually held with a few minutes to spare, doubling over and breathing heavily. It takes longer than Yaku would like to admit for him to realize that Lev is still holding onto his hand. He pulls it away quickly and finds a spot to set down the books he'd been carrying.

Takeda-sensei is there, along with a few other teachers. Yaku recognizes Nekomata, the teacher for the EAT Class Nekoma, which is Yamamoto and Inuoka's class.

Lev beckons Yaku over to a free section of the field and Takeda-sensei comes over to observe. "Yaku, it's good to see you back here again," he says cheerily. "Now, I'd think it'd be best for you two to dive right in. Yaku has some experience already, so if you get nervous Lev, he should be able to help you out some. I'm also right here if you need me."

Lev nods solemnly, and Yaku finds himself fascinated by his transition into perfect attention and seriousness. 

"Hold out your hand," Yaku tells him, and Lev obeys immediately. Yaku catches a glimpse of Lev's excitement in his eyes, but his hands are steady and his gaze is fixed on Yaku.

"I'm ready," he announces.

"Don't drop me," Yaku replies. He takes a breath and transforms. He's always found transforming disorientating. As a weapon, most of his senses are limited, as it wouldn't do for him to feel pain every time his meister attacked with him, and he relies on the feeling of the souls around him to orient himself. 

Lev's soul is... all-encompassing. Brimming with energy and latent power, Yaku feels as though there's really no other way he could go but towards it, drawn in by a power that's just so _Lev_ that Yaku can't help but feel a strange sense of this being _right_. Like, of course this is Lev's soul, how could it not be?

Then, the transformation is complete and Yaku can see Lev's face full of wonder directed right at him. Yaku is now a long whip with a small blade attached to the end, held gingerly in Lev's hands.

"Yaku..." Lev breathes. "You're amazing."

If Yaku was in human form he would be blushing, but he lies to himself that that isn't the case and mumbles, "Yeah, well, I guess you're not so bad yourself. Pretty powerful soul for a beginner." 

Suddenly, there are excited whoops and arms being thrown across Lev's shoulders. He stumbles and loses his grip on Yaku, who ends up on the ground and in human form. He looks up to see Yamamoto, Inuoka, and Kuroo congratulating Lev.

"Thanks," he says dryly, pushing himself off the ground without help from the others. "My friends are always so supportive of me." 

"Oh! Yaku, are you alright?" Lev asks, concern written all over his face. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to drop you."

"It's fine," Yaku assures him, dusting himself off. He then turns to Takeda-sensei, who is beaming at the both of them. "I suppose we'll need the forms to register as partners now."

Lev's face turns from worried to excited faster than Yaku can process it. Before he knows it, Lev is crushing him in a hug. "Really? Oh, thank you! This is going to be great!" In his excitement, the hug ends up lifting Yaku's feet off the ground.

"Put me _down_ ," Yaku says, catching the amused looks of his friends at the display. Still, when Lev sets him down gently, he finds that he's not as annoyed as he thought he'd be. Something in his chest feels lighter than before as Takeda-sensei hands him the registration form and he and Lev fill it out together.

"Alright," Kuroo announces when they're done, slinging one arm over each of them. "This calls for celebration."

Soon, Yaku found himself sitting in one of the cafés of Death City, as his friends talk animatedly and fit Lev right into their group. He hides a smile behind his mug and contents himself to watch the conversation until a thought strikes him.

"Kuroo, don't you owe me an explanation now?"

Kuroo's head tilts to the side, "What?"

"You said you'd tell me about your mystery weapon if I synced with Lev," Yaku says, a smile tugging at his lips. "And I've decided to hold you to that, you know, since you're such a great friend."

Kuroo's expression sours, but it seems to be more in response to Yaku's jibe than the mention of his mystery weapon. Before he can say anything, Lev interrupts, "Mystery weapon?"

"Oh right, you don't know," Inuoka says, sparing an awkward glance at Kuroo, unsure if he should continue.

Yamamoto has no such tact. "You're looking at DWMA's resident enigma right here," he says, elbowing Kuroo. "He holds the record for longest time at DWMA without a partner."

"Though, to be fair, he isn't really a student anymore. He's all signed up and attends meet-ups for partner choices, but he doesn't take any classes," Yaku adds.

"And _apparently_ ," Yamamoto continues, "It's because he met a weapon some time back, and he can't find a partner now that measures up. But he won't tell us anything about them."

"Because it's none of your business," Kuroo shoots back, forcing a light tone.

"Except now you _promised_ ," Yaku says.

"I did not," Kuroo says, but everyone stares at him expectantly. He glares at his drink, but the silence stretches on. Finally, he sighs in defeat, "Fine, I'll tell you one thing. What do you want to know?"

The attention turns to Yaku, who thinks carefully about what he wants to ask. "Why aren't you still with them?"

Kuroo turns pale, and Yaku almost feels bad for asking, but he wants to help Kuroo and he can't do that without knowing what the problem is.

"We... met as kids," Kuroo says, swallowing thickly, and Yaku doesn't understand how that answers his question. "They came to the village I grew up in, but they... had to leave. I haven't seen them since, and I don't know where they are. If I did, I'd go find them again."

The table turns silent and Yamamoto, Inuoka, and Yaku all privately regret the teasings they gave Kuroo over the years about his mystery weapon. Kuroo looks pensively at the table. He glances up at the rest of the table and rolls his eyes with a slight scoff, "Oh, come on. Cheer up, we're celebrating. Look, life's crappy sometimes, but you've gotta deal with it, and you all getting teary-eyed isn't going to help me."

"Do you think you'll find them ever?" Lev asks, his voice quiet.

"I came here for a reason," Kuroo says with finality. No one wants to push the subject any further, so Yamamoto makes a joke at Yaku's expense and the atmosphere returns almost to normal.

\--

"You're a menace!"

"It's not my fault you can't keep up!"

Kunimi grabs Kindaichi's shoulder as he makes a move towards Kageyama. Takeda-sensei has already placed himself between the fighting students. "That's quite enough, both of you!"

"Takeda-sensei, he could've--" Kindaichi begins, but Kunimi tugs on his shoulder again.

"It's not worth it, Kindaichi. Let's just get out of here," he says, though the glare he sends towards Kageyama betrays the sentiment. 

"Fine! I don't want to bother with meisters who are too weak to synchronize with!" Kageyama shouts over Takeda-sensei's shoulder. Kindaichi lunges at Kageyama and avoids Takeda-sensei's arm trying to hold him back.

"Keishin!" Takeda-sensei shouts, and another teacher quickly helps him pry the boys apart.

The teacher Takeda-sensei called has dyed-blonde hair and a severe scowl as he faces the two freshmen. "What did you two think you were doing?"

Kindaichi has the decency to lower his head as the teacher reprimands them both. Kageyama scowls but averts his eyes in a slight sign of shame. 

"If you two are going to fight, at least have the guts to do it properly. There's a reason DWMA has a policy on students dueling. There's no honor or resolution in senselessly throwing yourselves at each other. Now get out of here, and the next time either of you try to resonate with someone, you'd _better_ have thought about how stupid you were today," the teacher says, then dismisses them curtly.

Unfortunately for the students, they all head towards the dorms. Kindaichi and Kageyama avoid looking at each other, and Kunimi just stuffs his hands into his pockets, trying to avoid any more confrontation.

Kindaichi only speaks once they're about to part ways, "No one'll ever be able to synchronize with a selfish weapon like you." His voice is soft and his back is turned to Kageyama, but the sentence hangs powerful and heavy in the silence.

Kindaichi clenches his hands into fists then relaxes them, letting out a breath. He turns to Kageyama and continues in a calm voice, "If you keep hijacking the synchronization like you just did, you'll never find a partner. And you know what? That works just fine for me. It means having to see you that much less when I start EAT classes and you're stuck here forever." 

Kageyama stares at him, and for a single moment, his defenses are down and his emotions play across his face. Complete shock takes over most of his expression, but beneath that there's a fear deep in his eyes, a fear that Kindaichi's right. But the moment passes and his eyes harden again. "I don't need the acceptance of a weak meister like you."

Kageyama turns on his heel and practically flings the door of his dorm room open, stomping inside quickly and leaving Kindaichi and Kunimi in the hall. They walk to their shared dorm room in silence. Once inside, Kunimi hesitates for a moment but reaches out to lay a hand on Kindaichi's upper arm.

"Does it still hurt?" he asks softly.

"Not really. It's stiff, though." Kindaichi flexes his fingers a few times, then pulls away from Kunimi to grab his textbook on soul theory. "Anyways, I'm fine. I should get started on the homework."

He cracks open the thick volume of _Plasmology for Beginners_ and reclines on his bed. Kunimi stares at him for a moment, not sure whether or not to push for more details about what exactly happened when Kindaichi and Kageyama tried to synchronize. All Kunimi had seen was Kageyama transform, then Kindaichi's arms seized up and suddenly they were both shouting at each other.

Kunimi grabs his own textbook and tries to concentrate on the words, but his gaze keeps flitting back to Kindaichi. He wonders how painful the rejection was. Takeda-sensei mentioned them being unpredictable and dangerous, but Kunimi never imagined the flash of panic and cringe that crossed Kindaichi's face. He wants to ask, but it doesn't seem quite right to.

Still, the silence and pretending to study get to him, so without looking up from his book, he says, "Kageyama's an asshole."

Kindaichi snorts in laughter and Kunimi feels a bit better at the sound. "Yeah. He pretty much _shoved_ his wavelength into my soul. What a jerk. I pity the next person he suckers into synchronizing with him."

Kunimi hums in agreement, and his finger pick at the edges of his textbook. His eyes fall to Kindaichi's arms again. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Kindaichi sighs. "Yeah. I guess I'm still a little shaken up, though." When Kunimi raises a quizzical eyebrow at him, he continues, "It's just weird, synchronizing. I get why those two this morning called it 'intimate'. And I think rejection is probably worse, because you get that feeling where you're putting your _soul_ in someone else's hands, and then they just... _Kageyama_ just sees it like a tool, something he can use to his advantage and push around."

Kunimi tries to imagine what that might feel like. He'd met Kageyama at orientation, and he seemed like a decent enough guy. A little callous, but it's not like Kunimi is in a position to judge him on that. He was another weapon like Kunimi, but the difference between them was striking. Kageyama seemed confident in his abilities, and it had sounded like he'd already mastered transformations, whereas Kunimi was constantly reminding himself to keep a human form whenever he got too worked up. Luckily for him, he'd never been an overly emotional person.

"Is it really that... intense?" he asks, trying to keep his voice casual. He isn't quite sure how sure he feels about giving someone that kind of power over him. DWMA was never really in his plans for the future before he discovered he's a weapon. 

"Maybe that was just him, though," Kindaichi says, sending Kunimi a concerned look. Apparently Kunimi hadn't done a good job keeping the worry out of his voice. "Are you alright?"

Kunimi tries to come up with an answer, but is unable to explain it even to himself. "It's too much," he finally says, his eyes settling back down on his textbook. "This whole school is just too much."

"What do you mean?" Now Kindaichi is sitting up, his full attention on Kunimi.

Kunimi sighs. "It's different for weapons coming here than meisters."

"Different how?"

He finds himself staring at the words in his textbook, gaze intense enough to burn a hole through the page, and yet it's all meaningless to him. He swallows thickly. "Every meister here wanted to be here. But when you're a weapon... I mean, you can't exactly go your whole life without knowing how to control the transformation."

"That's why you said you didn't have much of a choice at orientation?"

Kunimi nods. "...You know, with all that excitement and getting kicked off of the field, we never got to try to synchronize." He keeps his eyes down, but he can feel Kindaichi's gaze on him.

"Next time," Kindaichi says after a moment of silence.

Kunimi can feel the corner of his mouth pull up. "Yeah. Okay." He looks up at Kindaichi, meeting his eyes for the first time since the incident at the field.

"Next time," he agrees. It feels like a promise.


	4. Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Tsukishima and Yamaguchi officially become partners, Kageyama swallows his pride, and Kuroo decides to help others, with mixed results.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about how long it took to get this chapter out. I'm currently taking exams, so the past few weeks has been hectic.
> 
> Anyways here's my [tumblr](http://bastmenttreasure.tumblr.com/), where I've posted some art of [Kageyama and Hinata](http://basementtreasure.tumblr.com/post/142965694219/some-designs-for-my-fic-matters-of-the-soul) and [Noya](http://basementtreasure.tumblr.com/post/143965001384/a-sketchy-noya-from-my-fic-matters-of-the) as they appear in this fic.
> 
> Also, special thanks to my awesome friend [theblogrunner](http://theblogrunner.tumblr.com/) who helped me out with some planning for this chapter.

_BEEP_

"Yamaguchi."

_BEEP_

_"_ Yamaguchi."

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

Yamaguchi finds himself suddenly startled awake by a pillow being flung at his face. 

"Turn off your alarm," grumbles an irritated voice, slightly slurred from tiredness. 

"O-oh. Sorry, Tsukki," he says, but Tsukishima's already turning back over in his bed, ignoring him. Yamaguchi turns off his alarm clock and shuffles into the bathroom to start his day. 

It isn't until after he gets back, teeth brush and hair slightly more manageable, that Tsukishima even begins to get up. He stumbles out of bed, blindly reaching for his glasses' case, which he knocks off the desk instead. He lets out a long suffering sigh, but Yamaguchi is there placing it in his hands before he has to crawl around trying to feel for it. He lets out a grunt of thanks before dragging himself to the bathroom.

Yamaguchi breathes out a little chuckle to himself and shakes his head, marveling to himself how different Tsukishima is in the morning. Being his childhood friend, Yamaguchi has seen his transition from complete zombie to cool and collected quite a few times before, but it never ceases to surprise him when he wakes up to find Tsukishima unable to form a coherent sentence until he's woken up properly.

As Yamaguchi packs his books into his backpack, Tsukishima comes out of the bathroom, less bleary-eyed but still glaring at the sunlight streaming through the window like it personally offends him. It probably does. 

They walk to class together, Yamaguchi breaking into a slight jog to keep up with Tsukishima's brisk strides.

"So, today's the day, huh? Finally signing up to take our EAT entrance exam," Yamaguchi says to start a conversation.

Tsukishima hums, a slight improvement from the grunts and glares of the morning. 

"I wonder what the exam will be like. It's gotta be something where meisters wield their weapons, right? Takeda-sensei said you needed a partner for it." Yamaguchi continues to hide his nervousness. He and Tsukishima aren't the only ones to be registered as partners already, but they are the first ones that will be taking the EAT entrance exam.

However, Tsukishima knows him too well, and picks up on his anxiousness immediately. "What, are you worried or something? If we fail, we'll just take it again later. It's not that big a deal," he says offhandedly, and Yamaguchi finds a strange comfort in his dismissal. He knows Tsukishima wants to get into EAT, maybe even more than Yamaguchi does, so if he's not worried, Yamaguchi is sure they'll be fine.

"Right. Of course. We can take it anytime. Besides, I'm sure we'll do fine. There's nothing to worry about."

"Yamaguchi?"

"Yes, Tsukki?"

"Shut up."

"Sorry."

They get to class fifteen minutes early and wait next to Takeda-sensei's desk for him to finish writing something down. Once he's done, he looks up at them with a grin, "Hello. How can I help you?"

"We're ready to sign up for the EAT exam," Tsukishima says. 

"Oh, of course. I've got the form all ready for you right here. The earliest date available is this Saturday. Would that work for you?"

Yamaguchi's hand twitches nervously. He hadn't expected it to be this week. But when Tsukishima looks at him, raising an eyebrow to ask if it's alright with him, he nods. Tsukishima signs them up, thanks Takeda-sensei for his time, and goes to sit at his desk in the back.

When Yamaguchi hesitates to leave, Takeda-sensei gives him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry," he says. "It's mostly just to make sure you can function as partners. You don't need to be exceptional fighters yet, that's what the EAT classes are for."

"Thanks," Yamaguchi says with a slight sigh of relief. "I'm okay, really." He goes and sits down in his seat next to Tsukishima and awaits the beginning of class.

\--

Kageyama holds his fist up to the door in front of him and doesn't knock. He tries really, really hard to just knock on the door, but his knuckles stubbornly stay an inch away from the wood, protecting his pride.

He's just about to give up--it's not like he _really_ needs this, anyways--when the door swings open, startling him. He's frozen in place, still holding his hand up like he's about to knock, and he comes face-to-face with Ukai, the teacher that had reprimanded him and Kindaichi the other day. 

Kageyama reminds himself that he shouldn't be as surprised as he is to see Ukai; it _is_ his office that he's been hesitating outside of, after all.

"Kageyama, is it? What are you doing here?" Ukai asks.

Kageyama clears his throat and puts his hand back down at his side. "I was hoping to talk to you, uh, sir."

Ukai steps away from the doorway and gestures for Kageyama to come in. "What's this about? You know I'm not actually your teacher. If this is something that Takeda-sensei could handle--"

"Actually, I was really hoping to talk to you, specifically. It's about synchronizing. B-but if you're too busy I understand," he finishes lamely, still not quite certain he wants this conversation to happen. He doesn't step through the doorway into Ukai's office yet.

Ukai gives him a considering look. "I have time. Please, take a seat," he says, gesturing behind him. Kageyama follows him into the office--a small room occupied mainly by a large desk and several bookshelves lining the walls--and stiffly sits in the chair in front of his desk. Ukai takes his seat behind the desk and folds his arms on its surface, waiting for Kageyama to speak.

"Well, it's just... You said Kindaichi and I weren't synchronizing correctly, right?"

Ukai nods slowly, trying to figure out where Kageyama is going with this.

"I... um." Kageyama takes a deep breath in, closing his eyes and bracing himself for his next sentence. "I want to know how a Death Scythe synchronizes. ...I mean, I would like a-advice. Because I have this theory and it won't work without a partner, but it also won't work if I have to weaken my own wavelength just to resonate. I've seen yours and Takeda-sensei's souls, and I really mean no offense to him at all, but your wavelength is far more powerful so I just... How do you do it?" Kageyama only realizes how loud his voice had been growing after he snaps his jaw shut with a sharp _click,_ embarrassed both by his unintentional rant and his need for help synchronizing. For some reason, he imagines Hinata's voice telling him he shouldn't act so tough if he can't even synchronize right.

_Neither can Hinata_ , Kageyama reminds himself. It's a small consolation, but it'll do for now.

"Synchronizing has nothing to do with power. Why don't you go listen to your teacher and come back when you're ready?" Ukai says flatly, reminding himself that it's technically true that Ittetsu's soul is weaker than his, yet he still feels irritated when Kageyama says it.

"But I've already done all the research, I _know_ what's he's going to say, and--"

"Then why did you still fail?" Ukai says, cutting him off. "Reading the textbooks isn't enough. You've got to _listen_ to your teachers, and to your partner for that matter."

"It's not textbooks..." Kageyama mumbles, drawing his shoulders in. He decides that this was a bad idea after all. Still, before he leaves, he defensively adds, "They were research papers."

This grabs Ukai attention. "Research papers?"

Kageyama hesitantly nods. "Yeah, Doctor Stein's research on wavelength manipulation."

"And they have to do with your... theory?" Ukai says slowly, trying to hide his interest. Stein was a genius when it came to soul wavelengths, but Kageyama has to learn how to sync before he even attempts anything at Stein's level. Still, for someone so young to not only understand, but build upon Stein's theories is impressive. At least, as long as Kageyama's theory actually has any validity. With how he was trying to control his sync, Ukai wouldn't be surprised if Kageyama didn't really understand souls at all, or at least not as well as he thought he did.

"Yes, sir. It's based on Doctor Stein's methods of absorbing and neutralizing an attack's soul power by matching his wavelength to it." Kageyama nods stiffly, hope blooming in his chest that maybe this was worth it. Ukai nods at him to continue, so he does. "Well, since a soul's power is measured in a wavelength, and it's possible to mimic that wavelength in order to cancel out an attack, isn't it possible to find the opposite of a wavelength that would make an attack much more effective?"

Ukai drums his fingers on the desk. "It's an interesting point, but that would also make you far more vulnerable to attacks yourself."

Kageyama leans forward, excitement in his eyes. He's clearly thought through this before. "I know, but Stein's methods don't have him _continuously_ mimic his enemy. He just rapidly changes his wavelength as it suits the battle."

"You're forgetting one very important thing," Ukai says with a sigh, almost not wanting to burst Kageyama's bubble. Still, he's a first year student and needs to keep reasonable goals for himself. No need to let his mind wander to unattainable fantasies.

"Sir?" Kageyama sits up straight again, the light in his eyes fading but not disappearing completely.

"Stein was not only immensely talented at manipulating his wavelength; he also had a partner whose special ability allowed him to resonate with any soul wavelength. If you attempted this, there'd be a rejection for sure. Besides, Stein and his partner are retired, so there's not even anyone you could pitch this plan to who'd be able to pull it off. I'm sorry Kageyama, but it's unrealistic and you need to focus on your own studies, as well as finding a partner." Ukai got up from his desk, a clear dismissal.

"But sir--" Kageyama protests.

"Look, Kageyama, I think you've got a good head, but you're getting way too far ahead of yourself. You'd need a prodigal control over your wavelength to pull this off, and you'd also need a meister with a soul flexible enough to accommodate _any_ wavelength you'd want to use. It's just not happening. Where would you find a partner like that?"

\--

"I'm really sorry, Hinata. I just don't think we're the best fit."

"Of course. I understand. Thank you for the practice, anyways," Hinata says, the smile on his lips feeling like plastic. The girl he had practiced synchronizing with gives him an awkward smile back before she makes her way towards another freshman. Hinata tries not to watch as the two of them get registration forms to become partners.

"Don't worry," says Takinoue, the NOT teacher that had supervised his synchronization practice. "You're doing really well for a beginner. You just need to find the right partner for you."

Hinata takes in a breath, giving Takinoue the same smile, a little more genuine this time. "You're right. I just gotta keep trying." 

He scans the practice field for an open partner and spots Lev and Yaku practicing with some wooden dummies. Lev's long arm makes wide arcs around his body, almost looking like part of the whip itself. Despite the looseness of his movements, Yaku's whip form moves with precision, whirling around him but never tangling or cutting Lev. The small blade at the end glints dangerously in the sunlight as it strikes its targets dead-on.

At the sight of his successful attack, Lev's eyes lose their intensity and fill with familiar excitement. "Yaku! Did you see that? That was awesome!"

"Yeah, I saw it," Yaku's voice rings out from the whip. "I _did_ it."

Hinata makes his way over to them as Lev rambles on, undeterred by Yaku. "Hey guys!" he calls. "That was awesome!"

"Hinata!" Lev's smile hits Hinata full-force and he almost forgets about his difficulties finding a partner. "Wasn't it? Yaku's really amazing!" 

Seeing how Lev is clearly too distracted to continue, Yaku transforms back into his human form and gives Hinata a smile. "Turns out Lev isn't completely hopeless. His technique still has a ways to go, though. How's your practice been going?"

Hinata's hands twitch and he crosses his arms over his chest to stop them. He doesn't want to ruin Lev's excitement with his own problems. "Oh. Y'know. It's... going."

"What's wrong?" Lev asks, his smile dropping and his eyes filling with concern.

Hinata shrugs, glancing downwards. "It's really not a big deal."

Yaku narrows his eyes. "You're a really bad liar. C'mon, we're your friends. Just tell us."

"I mean, it's been going ___fine_ ," Hinata says more firmly. "I've practiced with a bunch of different people and I haven't even had one rejection."

"But?" Yaku prompts.

"But no matter how well I do, it's always not enough!" Hinata suddenly blurts. "I can synchronize with all these people, but there's always someone else who does it better, or it's not the right fit, or they really don't want to be in the EAT class, or, or..." he trails off, suddenly out of steam. "How'd you guys know it was right when you synchronized?"

Yaku pauses, thinking back to the first time he and Lev synced. "Well... there's this kind of... _draw_ you feel when you've found the right partner. Like... it all clicks together."

Lev nods enthusiastically. "Yeah, when I first held Yaku, it was like..." He waves his arms around vaguely. " _бытие,"_[1] he says, and while English is not Hinata's first language, he is pretty sure Lev's isn't speaking it. Yaku looks similarly confused, which makes Hinata feel a little better about not understanding.

"Bwuh-what?" Hinata asks.

"бытие," Lev says, pronouncing it slowly like _bwi-tee-ye_. "It's Russian. It means... uh... Well, it's hard to translate but it's like... a stronger word for being?" He looks back and forth between Yaku and Hinata with a helpless shrug. "It makes sense in Russian."

"Well, I don't speak Russian, but I think that when you find your partner, you'll definitely know it," Yaku says.

"I don't get it," Hinata says. "Everyone says there's something special about your _partner_ , but I've never felt anything like that when I synchronize."

Yaku gives Hinata a sad smile. "Don't worry. I felt the same way last year. Say, why don't you talk to Kuroo about this? He's got all kinds of thoughts on partnering."

Hinata gives Yaku a skeptical look. "Really? He doesn't even have a partner."

"He's got the mystery--!" Lev starts, but is cut off by Yaku giving him an elbow to the ribs and a stern glare. "What was that for?"

"Don't spread gossip about your own friends!"

"But you tease him all the time for it!"

"To his face, yes. I don't go around telling _other_ people about it," Yaku says, giving Lev's shoulder a smack for good measure. 

"I'm confused," Hinata announces.

Yaku and Lev stop their vague arguing and Yaku turns back to Hinata, clearing his throat. "Anyways, Kuroo works down in Death City nowadays, since he's taken all the classes at DWMA that are available without a partner. I'm pretty sure his shift won't end for an hour or so, but it's a weekday afternoon, so I doubt he's that busy."

With Yaku's directions, Hinata finds himself back in downtown Death City, out of breath from another trip down the staircase and into the city. He walks into what seems to be a market square. Some unused stalls are pushed out of the way against the buildings surrounding the square, and Hinata remembers something about open-air markets being set up for festivals being mentioned in some of his research on DWMA before he became a student.

Between the stalls are all kinds of stores, but they're mostly closed. The only open one seems to be in the corner of the square, the worn sign hung above the door reading _The_ _Book Market_. 

Hinata pushes open the door with a creak and a chime of a bell overhead. The inside of the Book Market is dimly lit, but with a warm orange light that makes it feel homey. An assortment of chairs--from beanbags to stools to rocking chairs, none matching--are scattered almost randomly among the aisles of bookshelves and the tables at one end of the store. The shelves and tables themselves are overflowing with books, half-organized and piled on every available surface. Hinata has to step carefully to avoid knocking into some of the more precarious piles as he makes his way towards a desk in the back, where a familiar head of tangled black hair is buried in a thick volume titled _Origins of Plasmology: How Different Types of Souls Came to Be_. 

"Um, Kuroo?" Hinata asks, his voice low so as not to disturb the peace of the small shop.

Kuroo looks up from his book, a slightly startled expression on his face that melts into a smile when he sees Hinata. "Heya shrimp, what's up?"

Before Hinata can answer, the quiet of the shop is shattered by a loud crash, followed by yelling. Another student emerges from an aisle of bookshelves, pulling a book off his head and kicking another one out of the pathway. "When is someone going to shelve all these _stupid_ \--Is that a customer?" 

"Friend," Kuroo replies. "But who knows, he might buy something." He puts his book aside to lean against the desk, watching with an amused expression as the other student shoves the book previously on his head into a shelf haphazardly.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you," Hinata says, glancing at the other student, unsure if he would be angry with Hinata distracting Kuroo from work. Then again, he was reading a book when Hinata came in.

"Great!" Kuroo says, hopping over the desk and almost knocking over his book. As he catches it, Hinata glimpses the name of the chapter he's reading. _The Link Between Witch Souls and Demon Weapons_. "Futakuchi, cover for me, will ya?"

"I have my own job, you know!" Futakuchi calls as Kuroo drags Hinata to some of the more comfortable chairs huddled together in a corner.

"Are you sure I'm not disturbing you at work?" Hinata asks as he's plopped down into a cushy armchair.

"Not at all. It gets so boring in here when there's stuff going on at the school. Most of our customers are students, but we still stay open for residents in the city when there are classes going on," Kuroo says, settling into a swivel chair, one foot on the ground pushing him back and forth slightly. "By the way, this is your first time here, right?"

Hinata nods and looks around at the chaotic bookstore. Somehow, it feels comfortable in a familiar sort of way, like he could stay here for hours and not mind, even though he never really liked reading, especially in English for that matter.

"Well then," Kuroo says, spreading his arms grandly. "Welcome to the Trash Heap."

"I--What?"

"It's what we call this place. At least, what most of the students do," Kuroo explains. "As you can see, it's not exactly _neat_ in here, but it's a pretty popular hangout for people who like quiet or chaos. And honestly, did you really expect a bunch of high schoolers to refer to this as the _Book Market_?" He laughs, the sort of subdued sound where he doesn't breathe much, more of a snicker that's mostly conveyed by his shaking shoulders.

He shakes his head and his breathing evens out. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Partners," Hinata says. "Yaku said you had lots thoughts about partnering up, and thought you could give me some advice."

Kuroo leans back in his chair, humming thoughtfully. "So, what's seems to be the problem with you? DWMA's meet-ups not doing it for you?"

Hinata shrugs. "I've been doing well enough, but everyone keeps talking about a partner that they _click_ with or that _fits_ or that just _feels right_ , and I... I haven't felt anything like that. It seems like I can get along with just about anyone on a synchronization basis, but it's not this great feeling everyone else seems to have."

Kuroo smiles at Hinata, but there's a sadness in his eyes, a distance like he's thinking of another place, another time. "So you haven't found your kindred spirit yet?"

"My what?"

"Some people believe that a perfect partner exists for everyone, someone they're meant to be with whose soul fits with theirs perfectly," Kuroo says with a shrug. "A more literal soul mate, if you will. Now, I'm not sure if I believe in all that fate and destiny people spout about it, or if I even believe that everyone has their perfect partner, but I do know there are some partnerships that just _work_. Can't explain why, but sometimes when two people come together like that, they make something special."

Hinata is silent for a long time, absorbing this information. When he does speak, it's in a hushed voice, as if he isn't quite sure he should voice his thoughts. "Why don't you have a partner? Are you waiting for your kindred spirit?"

That faraway look reappears in Kuroo's eyes. "Not quite. I found mine, I'm sure of it. I just need to find them again."

He clears his throat and blinks a few times, and then says, "As for advice, you don't need to have that connection to form a strong partnership. If you find someone you can work well with, you can still be a great meister. But... I think it's worth the wait." With that, he stands and moves back to the desk with the cash register, a clear dismissal.

Before Hinata leaves, he throws a quick "Thank you" over his shoulder.

It's barely ten minutes since Hinata left when Kuroo hears the bell above the shop door ring again. He looks up to find a tall blonde student surveying the shop, his expression one of thinly veiled judgement.

"Can I help you?" Kuroo asks.

"Just browsing," the blonde replies, his fingers skimming over the spines of books on a nearby shelf. "How is this place organized?" he asks with a furrowed brow, attempting to find a pattern in the books.

"It isn't," Kuroo says simply. The blonde makes no attempt to muffle his scoff. "Kuroo Tetsurou," he tries again.

"Hm?"

"My name. It's Kuroo Tetsurou."

"I don't recall asking," the blonde says, continuing his search through the shop. After a long silence in which he can feel Kuroo eyes following him everywhere, he says, "Tsukishima."

A wide grin spreads over Kuroo's face. "Nice to meet you, Tsukishima. That's a mouthful, though. Got a nickname?"

"None that you can call me," Tsukishima says flatly. He glances up at Kuroo, his expression souring at Kuroo's smirk. "Do you have any books written _this_ century?"

"You're in Daishou's favorite reading area. Big history nerd. Try Ennoshita's area; he likes contemporary stuff," Kuroo says, pointing at another aisle.

"I thought you said this place wasn't organized?" Tsukishima says with a raised eyebrow, but he heads over to the aisle Kuroo pointed out.

Kuroo shrugs. "That's why people put books back in the same place they read them. And I know my customers pretty well. So how about you? Never seen you before. Freshman?"

Tsukishima hums in confirmation, pulling a book off the shelf to inspect its cover.

"Why aren't you up at the sync practice, then?" Kuroo asks.

"Why are you so nosy?" Tsukishima shoots back. He puts the book back on the shelf and moves to another aisle at random, as if trying to show he didn't need Kuroo's help finding anything.

"I'm a curious guy," Kuroo says.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"Is that a death threat? My, you're an awfully violent kid, aren't you?" Kuroo drawls, leaning his cheek against his hand, grin widening as Tsukishima's face fills with the tiniest hint of color.

"Maybe it is. And don't call me a kid. You're--what?--two, three years older than me?" he says, determinedly keeping his eyes on the books and not Kuroo.

The door opens with a ring and Yamaguchi pokes his head into the store. "Tsukki? We're supposed to be back for dinner before too long."

Tsukishima walks briskly towards the door. "Did you find what you were looking for?" Yamaguchi asks.

"No," Tsukishima says stiffly. "Waste of time, I suppose."

Just as they're exiting the door, Tsukishima hears Kuroo call after him one last time. "Bye, Tsukki! Drop by again soon!"

_"Don't call me that."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] бытие ('bwi-tee-ye)  
>  Post by themedved on /r/doesnottranslate, this Russian noun hints at hyper-consciousness or an objective and analytical mindset. Russian-to-English dictionaries might translate it as "being." While the word does stem from the Russian verb for "to be," the exact meaning contains a metaphysical property English can't relay.
> 
> Proz.com, a forum for translations, also defines the word as "enrichment of one's life." [return]
> 
> Apologies if I misused the Russian word, I've copy&pasted what I've found on it above, so if the meaning doesn't quite make sense, that's what I was working with. I just really like Russian-speaking Lev and untranslatable words so I hope it worked out.
> 
> Also, if anyone has noticed the pattern I use for whether to use the word "synchronize" or "sync", 100 points to you. ;)


	5. The First Attempt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ukai has a long day dealing with troublesome students, and Hinata and Kageyama have a long day dealing with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 100 kudos! Thank you guys so much! Not only that, but with this chapter, the fic has reached 20k words! Two milestones in one. To celebrate, I was thinking of doing some art for this, and since I've only posted character designs so far, I was wondering if any readers wanted to request a specific scene or something. If you guys wanted to see character designs (even for characters that haven't shown up yet if it's not spoilery), I'd do that too. Leave a suggestion in a review or send it to me on my [tumblr.](http://basementtreasure.tumblr.com/) I'll post them on tumblr tagged with "Matters of the Soul fic", and I'll probably also include links of any I've done in the notes of the next chapter.  
> Anyways, thank you so much, and here's the next chapter.

The smell of eggs fill the room as Takeda hums quietly, making breakfast in the small kitchenette of his and Ukai's shared apartment. They'd lived there together ever since they returned from their assignment in Japan to teach at DWMA, even though Ukai's grandfather has an estate not too far from their little apartment.

The Ukai family is well-renowned in the weapon and meister community. Their family has a long history of powerful weapons in their bloodline, so it's not a matter of space or money why Takeda and Ukai don't live on the property. It's mostly a matter of pride--Ukai's pride to be more exact. Despite the fact that every Ukai had eventually returned to the estate, usually to take care of the elder Ukais there, Keishin refused to move back in with his grandfather.

Takeda couldn't blame him though. Ukai Ikkei didn't need anyone to care for him, and he'd never let his grandson live it down if he moved back. So Takeda suggested an apartment when he and his partner returned from Japan. It was at the same complex where they had once shared an apartment as EAT students, what seemed like a lifetime ago.

As Takeda pulls their breakfast off the stove and starts to serve it on plates, Ukai walks into the main room of their apartment, already dressed for work. "Good morning, Keishin," Takeda greets him.

"Morning, Ittetsu," he responds as Takeda places a plate in front of him. He takes a deep breath in and smiles. "Thanks, this smells amazing. Dinner and drinks on me tonight."

Takeda raises an eyebrow. "Now, normally I'd be all for a night out, but it is a Thursday, Keishin. And usually you're not the one to offer drinks, let alone on a school night." He sits beside Ukai, giving him his best comforting smile, which works wonders on students and Ukai alike. "So, what's wrong?"

Ukai sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "It's been a long week. My students have started doing exercises with Soul Resonance attacks, and I've been running around like mad trying to make sure they don't destroy school property. Those troublesome second-years Nishinoya and Tanaka leveled a new clearing in the forest out back. Plus, on top of all that, your student Kageyama came to see me yesterday with a crazy theory and a hell of a determination to prove it right."

"Kageyama visited you? I'm surprised," Takeda says. "He hasn't really been showing up to sync practices after his first few rejections. I was starting to think he'd gotten discouraged."

Ukai snorts out a laugh. "Hardly. I'd say he's gotten more stubborn. The only problem is that he's looking for a partner that probably doesn't exist."

Takeda puts his hand over his mouth, humming thoughtfully. "It's a shame, really. He is quite advanced at Soul Theory and controlling his wavelength, but perhaps a year without a partner will give him some time to cool down. Besides, almost all of my freshmen have already paired up. In fact, of the freshmen aiming to get into EAT, it's only Kageyama and Hinata Shouyou who don't have partners."

"Is the other one having problems syncing, too?" Ukai asks.

Takeda shakes his head. "Quite the opposite actually. His soul might be one of the most adaptable souls I've seen, though he doesn't really know how to control it. It seems like he subconsciously picks up on people's wavelengths and matches them. It even happens when he isn't trying to sync. It's starting to resemble Haiba's, actually, since they seem to spend quite a bit of time together."

"Then what's the problem?"

"He just hasn't made that connection with anyone yet," Takeda says, sighing. "It's really too bad, but someone with such a flexible soul should be able to find a partner next year."

"Yeah..." Ukai says softly, mostly to himself. "Someone with such a flexible soul..."

\--

Later that day, after classes are all through, Ukai sits in his office, mulling over paperwork explaining exactly why his students felt the need to create a new clearing in the forest. Honestly, he should just make Nishinoya and Tanaka do the paperwork themselves as punishment, but he doubts they would fill it out acceptably.

A knock at his door pulls him away from the papers. "Come in," he calls.

Sugawara and Sawamura enter his office. "You wanted to see us, sir?" Sawamura asks.

"Ah, yes. I wanted to talk to you two about some of the freshmen," Ukai says, sliding his papers to the side of the desk. He can deal with property damage later. "You've been looking in on some of their sync practices, right?"

Sugawara nods in response. "Most of the EAT classes have been doing some observation to see if any of the freshmen would fit well in their class."

"What do you think of Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shouyou?"

Ukai watched as Sugawara and Sawamura glanced at each other. Sawamura clears his throat, saying, "Well, Kageyama is definitely skilled, but he's totally uncompromising."

"And Hinata's skills aren't refined, but he has great natural ability," Sugawara adds. "Why do you ask?"

Ukai hums thoughtfully. "Well, this might be a long shot, but I feel like if anyone could keep up with Kageyama's sync, it's Hinata. You two are some of my best students when it comes to understanding partner dynamics and syncing, so I wanted to hear your opinion on this."

"Hinata's been able to sync with a wide range of wavelengths, so it's worth a shot, I suppose," Sugawara says. "Still, Kageyama's going to need to learn to pay more attention to his partner if he ever wants to master syncing."

"But if can get a partner that works for him, Kageyama could be a great addition to Class Karasuno," Sawamura says. "Hinata's got potential, too. If we bring together their talents, it could result in a very powerful partnership."

Ukai nods. "Then I'll leave it to you two. You're more than capable of aiding them, and it might be more comfortable for them if you intervened instead of me. I'll get you permission to oversee sync practices yourselves if you want to do them privately."

"Yes, sir," they say together, and leave Ukai to his paperwork. He glances at the clock. Only a little while longer before he's off the clock and can go get his drinks with Takeda. Looking back over the report on property damage, he knows he's going to need them.

\--

Hinata is studying in Lev's dorm room. Rather, he came to Lev's room to study, but his textbook lies forgotten next to him as the two sit on the floor and talk. Hinata gestures wildly as he finishes a story about his most recent grievance with his roommate Kageyama.

"He's just so  _high and mighty_ ," he says expressively. "And he's actually good at this soul stuff, which just makes it so much more  _annoying_."

Lev listens to him vent patiently, which Hinata is immensely grateful for. He's sure he's told Lev about Kageyama far more than he really should, but Lev never complains and Hinata can't help but let out all his frustration.

There's a knock on the door and Lev jumps up to answer it, a smile spreading across his face when he sees who's outside. "Suga! Hi!"

"Hello, Lev. Is Hinata here?" Suga asks. "I was told I might find him in your room."

Hinata pushes himself to his feet and stands by Lev's side so Suga can see him. He gives Suga a wave and asks, "What do you need?"

"Well," Suga begins slowly, as if he's just realized he's about to broach an awkward subject. "Ukai, the teacher for Class Karasuno, was talking to Daichi and me, and we think we might know a partner who can work with you."

"Really?" Hinata says with a wide smile, "That's amazing! Who is it?"

Suga bites his bottom lip, bracing himself for Hinata's reaction. "Kageyama."

Just like that, all the happiness drains from Hinata's face. "Kageyama," he repeats dully. "You want me to be  _Kageyama's_  partner? The 'King of Rejections' Kageyama?" His voice grows more incredulous with each word.

Suga quickly holds up his hands in a placating gesture. "Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. All we're saying is that we think you two would be able to sync, and since Kageyama can't sync with anyone else, it might give you the opportunity to partner up without waiting another year. It can't hurt to try."

Hinata tries to bite back his retort, but it makes its way out of his mouth as a sullen mumble. "Everyone who's tried to synchronize with him would say otherwise."

"I know he's a bit... difficult to get along with," Suga concedes, "but in the end, you're both looking for a partner right? You can always change or decide it isn't working out, but at least you'll have tried."

Hinata hesitates before responding. "Do you... do you really think this could work?"

"I do," Suga says, nodding his head firmly.

Hinata glances at Lev, as if looking for support. "I think it's worth a shot," Lev says.

"Alright." Hinata faces Suga again, shoulders back and head held high. "I'll do it."

\--

Despite Hinata's dramatic declaration, he almost turns and leaves as soon as he actually sees Kageyama's face. There's something about him standing there, glaring at Hinata like he's too good to be Hinata's partner, all the while he's been unable to sync with anyone at all.

Seeing Hinata's less-than-eager expression, Suga places a hand on his shoulder and says, "Don't worry. It's just a practice." Hinata stays silent, so Suga adds, "Besides, I don't think he's judging you. I think that's just how his face looks." This coaxes a small smile out of Hinata and Suga, feeling satisfied, leads him over to where Kageyama and Daichi are waiting.

As they arrive, Daichi begins to speak. "Alright, we got special permission from Ukai to have a private practice. Suga and I will count as your supervisors. Any questions?"

Hinata and Kageyama share a glance. It's obvious neither of them is looking forward to this, but they're both determined to go through with it. Hinata clears his throat and says, "Look, we might not exactly like each other, but we're going to have to work together to get into EAT." He holds his hand out to Kageyama as a show of peace.

Instead of shaking his hand, Kageyama just narrows his eyes at Hinata. "Just try to keep up."

Bristling, Hinata turns back to Daichi, trying to clear his mind of the annoyance he feels at Kageyama.  _It'll just mess up your synchronization,_  he tells himself. After a deep breath he feels ready to start the practice.

Suga sends a concerned look towards Daichi, who looks over Hinata and Kageyama one more time. "Well then, let's get started."

The light of a weapon transformation is now familiar to Hinata, who doesn't even close his eyes as he reaches into the bright white light and closes his hand around it. He can feel Kageyama's form solidify against his palm and there's a moment where he's holding a bo staff, beautiful yet frightening in its sleek dark design and the intensity Hinata can feel radiating from it. In that moment Hinata feels...  _something_. He's just about to identify the feeling.

That, of course, is when everything goes wrong.

The feeling is a mix between the pins-and-needles of a muscle falling asleep and an electric current running through Hinata. Suddenly, his muscles all lock into place and there's a sensation between numbness and pain down both arms and spreading. His first instinct is to let go of Kageyama's weapon form, but his fingers won't move. He tries to say something, but his jaw has locked up as well. Then comes a feeling like he can't breathe, as if the numbness has spread to his lungs, and he starts to panic. His mind is racing and the only thought he can hold onto for long is that he  _can't let go_.

Luckily for him, Suga and Daichi quickly catch onto the fact that something's gone wrong. Through the buzzing in his ears, Hinata can hear Daichi shouting for Kageyama to detransform. The next thing he knows, he's sitting on the ground, limbs feeling like jelly. Suga has an arm around him, which he's grateful for because he isn't sure he could sat upright on his own.

Kageyama is standing above him, his face pale and expression stricken. There is something in his eyes, like fear but not quite, that almost makes Hinata feel bad for him. Still, Hinata feels rotten enough himself that he doesn't give much thought to Kageyama's condition.

"Are you alright?" Suga asks, concern coating his voice.

Hinata nods and moves to stand on his own, but ends up swaying on his feet and has to have Suga catch him. "Just kinda... weak, I guess."

"Why didn't you detransform when the rejection started?" Daichi asks Kageyama sternly.

"I..." Kageyama says, his expression far away and slightly confused. "But... we  _had_  it."

"I hardly count that as--" Daichi starts, his tone shifting closer to anger with each word.

"He's right, Daichi," Suga says, and Daichi relaxes visibly at his voice. "It was just for a moment, but they were in sync. What happened?" He directs his last question at Kageyama.

"He kept changing!" Kageyama says suddenly, pointing a finger at Hinata. "I did exactly what I was supposed to, but his wavelength just went haywire! He wouldn't cooperate." 

"Me?" Hinata says incredulously, though he doesn't look at threatening as he wishes he could since he's hanging onto Suga's shoulder for support. "How was  _I_  the uncooperative one?"

"Did you even  _try_  to steady your wavelength? It was all over the place!"

Hinata leans forward as if to lunge at Kageyama, but Suga holds him back. "Hey, take it easy! Both of you just calm down."

"I don't get it," Kageyama says, staring at Hinata with a mix of anger and confusion. "Your wavelength is perfectly calm  _now_ , so why was it so frantic before? Did you even want to synchronize?"

"Enough!" Daichi says, physically separating them by stepping in front of Kageyama. "Hinata, we're going to take you to the medical wing for a quick check just to be safe. We can discuss what went wrong afterwards."

At Daichi's words, Suga repositions himself so that he's holding Hinata around the waist and Hinata's arm is draped over his shoulder. "Kageyama, are you hurt at all?" Suga asks as he starts to make his way towards the medical wing.

When Kageyama hesitates too long, Daichi ushers him to follow Suga and Hinata. The four make their way into the main building of the DWMA and down the twisting hallways until they arrive in a pristine white room. There's a girl sitting on a rolling chair in between two beds with metal frames and thin mattress. She's reading a book, glasses perched on her nose, but looks up as they enter the room. 

"Kiyoko," Suga says warmly, releasing Hinata and gesturing for him to sit on one of the beds. "We have a few freshmen that need a bit of a check-up."

"Rejection?" Kiyoko asks, putting her book aside. At Daichi's affirmation, she opens a door to what appears to be a back room and calls, "Hitoka, we have some more freshmen."

A small blonde girl in an oversized white coat emerges from the back room, standing closely behind Kiyoko. She glances at Hinata and Kageyama, but quickly looks away when they catch her eye. Her large lab coat falls over her hand and is decorated with colorful pins over the lapel. 

"I'll take one into the next room," Kiyoko says, "and Hitoka can check on the other here. Would you two like to stay?" She directs the last question at Suga and Daichi.

"They're our responsibility," Daichi says. "I'd like to make sure they're alright, if it isn't too much trouble."

The blonde girl shakes her head, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. "Not at all!"

Suga leaves with Kageyama and Kiyoko to head to the next room, leaving Hinata with Daichi and the short blonde girl. "I'm Yachi Hitoka," she says, holding out her arm stiffly. "I'll do my best to help you today!"

Hinata shakes her hand. "I'm Hinata. It's nice to meet you."

Yachi rolls her large sleeves up to her elbows and pulls out what looks like a magnifying glass, except it seems to be electronic, little lights running along the handle. She looks at Hinata through it and hums thoughtfully. "Well, your wavelength seems to be stable and there doesn't seem to be any long term stress on your soul. Any physical injuries?"

"Um, well, general weakness I guess? My fingers still kinda ache, too," Hinata says uncertainly as Yachi fiddles with her magnifying glass, turning the lens which makes clicking sounds as it adjusts. She points it at his fingers, her face stoically concentrated, which Hinata has to admit, looks a bit goofy paired with her sci-fi magnifying glass.

"Did the rejection make you feel numb?" Yachi asks, stowing her magnifying glass in one of the pockets of her coat. Hinata nods and she says, "We've had an awful lot of those this year. Here, I can show you some stretches that'll help out." She leads Hinata through a series of hand motions that are hard to do at first, but slowly they become easier and he feels like he can move his hands freely.

"As for the fatigue, a good night's sleep should clear everything up. If not, you can come back tomorrow and we'll see if anything else is wrong." Yachi says.

"Thank you. Um, if you don't mind me asking, aren't you and Kiyoko a bit young to be in charge of a medical wing?" Hinata asks.

"Oh, we're just on an internship," Yachi says, wringing her hands together. "I'm nowhere near good enough to be running it. We're partners in the NOT class and we want to go into research and development of technology based on souls, and the most advanced technology we have right now in the field of Plasmology is all medical, so we're getting experience here in the medical wing under Takeda-sensei."

"So that magnifying glass thing you had was--" Hinata starts.

"My own work! It can read wavelengths and make souls visible even to those who don't have Soul Perception!" Yachi excitedly interrupts. She blushes and apologizes, "Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off. It's just... I'm very proud of it."

"You made it yourself?" Hinata asks. "That's so cool!"

"You think so?" Yachi pulls her electronic magnifying glass out and turns it over in her hands. "I mean, the technology existed already. It's used in X-rays a lot, I just tinkered a bit to make it portable."

Daichi, who was quiet until this point, pipes up. "She's being modest. Yachi and Kiyoko are really amazing."

Yachi blushes a deep red. "Well, Kiyoko definitely is, but I'm not so sure about me."

"Well you sure sound amazing to me," Hinata says, which makes Yachi give him a brilliant smile.

The other examination room is less friendly. Kiyoko asks Kageyama a series of questions about the rejection, to which he responds curtly. Suga looks at Kageyama with something between curiosity and pity, but says nothing until Kiyoko declares him free to go with a warning to get a full night's rest and to wait a few days before trying to sync again.

"I'm sorry for how today went. We really thought this would work," Suga says as Kiyoko leaves to check in on Yachi and Hinata.

Kageyama shrugs and refuses to meet Suga's eyes. "At least I don't have to be partners with that idiot Hinata."

Suga sighs and moves to sit next to Kageyama. "You know, as cold as you like to act, you're really not fooling me. I saw your face when you detransformed."

Kageyama bites the inside of his cheek, trying not to let any expression show. He risks a glance out the corner of his eye to look at Suga, who doesn't seem impressed with his ability to mask his emotions.

"You  _cared_ , Kageyama," Suga says emphatically. "I don't understand why you're trying to pretend you didn't"

After a long pause, Suga is almost ready to give up on talking to Kageyama when he finally speaks in a small voice. "I didn't mean to hurt him. I really thought we could get the synchronization back."

Suga's eyes fill with compassion as he puts a hand on Kageyama's shoulder. "I know it wasn't on purpose, Kageyama."

"Then he just threw us off," Kageyama says lowly, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "Why...?"

Suga falters. "Now, now. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Hinata didn't mean to either."

Kageyama doesn't argue. Instead, he silently fumes to himself. Hinata was obviously able to synchronize with him, at least for a little bit. So the question becomes: why did he suddenly stop? It figures that the first person he's able to synchronize with is an idiot who doesn't want anything to do with him. 

"I think I'm going to head back to the dorms," he says in place of voicing his thoughts. Suga gives him a long look, but in the end he sends him off and goes to find Daichi.

Hinata is saying goodbye to Daichi and Yachi when Suga walks into the room. Suga waves and gives him a smile as he departs, but the smile quickly falls as he falls into step beside Daichi and they head towards the main entrance in order to walk back to their apartment.

"Well, that was a disaster," Suga says. "It's too bad. I'm sure they match soul wavelengths, but I don't think they'll ever work past their personality differences."

"Actually, I'm not so sure about that," Daichi says with a glint in his eyes. Suga gives him a questioning look, so he elaborates. "If there's one thing those two have in common, it's that they're determined."

"Yeah, to  _hate_  each other," Suga says dubiously. "You can't force a connection by being determined to do it. In fact, that's probably where they went wrong in the sync."

Daichi shrugged. "Maybe. But I know they're the last two EAT prospects without partners, and I don't know about you, but I don't see either of them sitting around and waiting a whole year to get into the program."

Suga hums thoughtfully. "You have a point there. But do you really think they can pull it off?"

"I think they're exactly what each other needs," Daichi explains. "Kageyama's never found anyone who can sync with him, and Hinata's never found anyone willing to make a commitment to him."

"Well, they did have a pretty powerful wavelength together in that moment when they synced," Suga concedes. "If they really could harness that..."

Daichi gives Suga a grin. "Class Karasuno would make an explosive improvement."

Suga returns Daichi's grin and gives him a light--by Suga's standards--punch in the shoulder. "So  _that's_  what this is about. Class pride."

Daichi shrugs, smile still on his face. "Well, Ukai  _was_  saying if our team had more sets of partners, it'd open up a lot more missions we could go on."

"And a lot more arguments about who gets the souls we collect," Suga says. "Besides, I thought we were also looking into those two taking the entrance exam on Saturday. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, was it?"

"Well, who said one team can't have four sets of partners? I mean, Tanaka and Noya would love to get as many freshmen as possible to act superior around," Daichi says.

Suga laughs fondly. "They  _were_  very excited to not be the youngest ones around, weren't they?"

Daichi chuckles and shakes his head. "I don't know how Asahi puts up with them. Did you hear about the fiasco in the forest?"

"We go to a weird school," Suga says, disbelief making its way into the fondness as he wonders exactly how Noya and Tanaka were able to turn an assignment in sensing wavelengths into an explosion.

"The weirdest," Daichi agrees.


	6. The Test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hinata and Kageyama have to deal with each other, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi take an exam, Kunimi tries syncing for the first time, and Yaku's denial starts to wear thin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So. I've been gone for, like, over two months. Woops. Sorry, I've been really busy lately and spent a while away from home. But today is fanfic writer appreciation day on tumblr, so I decided to finally get down to business and get this chapter done.
> 
> Also, this chapter is a little longer than usual, so maybe that makes up for being gone so long?
> 
>  
> 
> [my tumblr](http://whenthefandomsattack.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  
> 
> Art I did for this fic:  
> [Hinata and Kageyama's first try at syncing](http://whenthefandomsattack.tumblr.com/post/146088749834/drew-a-scene-from-my-fic-matters-of-the-soul-as)  
> [Yachi](http://whenthefandomsattack.tumblr.com/post/146520999199/a-cute-scientist-yachi-from-my-fic-matters-of-the)

Waking up to see Kageyama first thing in the morning is not what Hinata wants after their disastrous attempt at syncing, but he can't exactly move out of his dorm. Besides, even if he could, it would be letting Kageyama win, which Hinata is absolutely not about to do anytime soon.

After his gut reaction to opening his eyes the next morning and seeing Kageyama still asleep across the room--which involves him narrowing his eyes, clenching his hands into fists, and mentally hurling a few insults his way--Hinata gets ready for his morning class.

It's not long before Kageyama's alarm goes off and the two finish getting ready in terse silence. Hinata glances at Kageyama now and again, his thoughts somehow drawn to that one moment before everything went wrong in their synchronization. But each time he catches himself looking Kageyama's way, he jerks himself back to reality and reminds himself that there's no way they could ever synchronize properly. Kageyama was too much of a jerk for that.

Besides, Kageyama hasn't said a word to him since their failure, not even an apology for the synchronization going wrong or for yelling at Hinata like it was somehow his fault. So if Kageyama doesn't want to speak, then fine. Hinata won't either.

Still, it's hard to ignore him when Kageyama finishes getting ready at the same time as Hinata and they head out the door to class side-by-side. Hinata focuses his gaze straight ahead, not wanting to acknowledge Kageyama's presence. Unfortunately, this leads him to fail to notice the presence of two other students in the hallway until he runs right into one of them.

"I'm so--" he begins to say, but the words die in his throat when he looks up and notices the very irritated face of Tsukishima, who is usually scary all on his own, but is especially terrifying when he levels his glare directly at Hinata.

But Tsukishima’s eyes don’t linger long on Hinata. Before he knows it, Tsukishima’s focus settles on Kageyama. His initial annoyance at being run into by Hinata fades into a quiet bemusement.

“Excuse me,” he says, voice laced with sarcasm. “I didn’t know the King of Rejections would be gracing us with an appearance. I figured after your failures to synchronize with everyone in our class, you’d be locked away in your throne room.”

Hinata can practically hear Kageyama’s teeth grinding as he spits back his reply; “ _Don’t_ call me that.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Tsukishima says, feigning remorse. “I thought you were proud of that title. After all, you’re ‘too good’ for us lowly students to keep up with, right?”

Hinata expects Kageyama to start yelling, or at least insult Tsukishima back and storm away, but Kageyama just stands there, seething. So Hinata does something he doesn’t quite understand: he intervenes.

“What’s your problem?” he demands, straightening his back and trying to get in Tsukishima’s field of view as much as possible with his height.

Tsukishima waves him off like a particularly annoying fly and Hinata’s blood starts to _boil_.

“Hey! Don’t just ignore me!”

“If you excuse me, I have to get to class,” Tsukishima says without breaking eye contact with Kageyama. “I don’t want to fall behind with my entrance exam coming up. I heard they’re open for observation though, so you might want to come and check out how synchronization _actually_ works. Note the lack of sending my partner to the infirmary.”

With that, Tsukishima walks away, leaving Kageyama and Hinata both staring after him, silent with fury.

“What a jerk!” Hinata finally yells, breaking the silence.

“The one thing we can agree on,” Kageyama says, his cool tone barely masking the anger beneath.

\--

Possibly despite his better judgement, Hinata does end up going to watch the entrance exam, and he isn’t the only one. The entrance exam is held on a training field reserved for the EAT students. NOT students gather to watch the exam—one of their only opportunities to see the EAT field. Hinata glimpses some familiar faces, but there are plenty of people he doesn’t know as well: EAT students scoping out the new recruits and NOT upperclassmen who want to see some action.

“Shouyou!” an excited voice shouts, and Hinata barely has time to register it before an arm is slung around his shoulders with more force than strictly necessary. Noya gives him a wide smile before using his other arm to wave over Tanaka. “Hey, Ryuu! Look, it’s Shouyou!”

“Hey, Noya,” Hinata says, returning the smile. “I didn’t know you were going to show up today.”

“Oh, you know, we’re just trying to see which class is going to get some new students,” Noya says, shrugging nonchalantly, but there’s something off about his voice.

Tanaka finally makes his way over and playfully messes up Hinata’s hair. “How’s it going? You got a partner yet?”

“No…” Hinata says, avoiding eye contact. But his sullen expression doesn’t last long when Noya’s arm tightens around his shoulders.

“Aw, don’t worry about it, Shouyou! Y’know, Asahi had to wait a year in the NOT class. He’s actually a year older than Ryuu and me.” It does make Hinata feel a little better. It also definitely explains some things about the trio’s relationship dynamic, Hinata thinks, remembering how Asahi calmly pacified his energetic partners the first time he met them.

As if summoned by the mention of his name, Hinata spots Asahi among the crowd. “Look, there he is,” he says to Noya and Tanaka. He starts to call out to him, but Noya and Tanaka quickly silence him, much to his confusion.

Despite their efforts, Asahi notices his partners and walks over to them, arms crossed. Hinata is left to his confusion as Noya and Tanaka freeze beside him.

“Aren’t you two supposed to be in detention?” Asahi says. Noya and Tanaka wait a beat before responding.

“See you at home!” Noya shouts, grabbing Tanaka’s wrist and making a run for it.

“Skipping will only get you more detention!” Asahi shouts after them half-heartedly. “Honestly,” he sighs to himself. He suddenly remembers Hinata’s still there, staring bewilderedly at the spot Noya and Tanaka had just occupied. “S-sorry about that. Those two… can be a handful.”

“It’s fine,” Hinata says slowly. “What did they get in trouble for, anyways?”

Asahi’s expression is something between embarrassment, disappointment, and exasperation. “There was… an incident during training in the forest.”

“Oh.” Hinata decides to drop the subject. He probably doesn’t want to know anyways. “Well…” he says awkwardly, “I guess I’ll just go and watch the entrance exam. It’s supposed to be starting soon.”

“Yeah, and I should probably find Noya and Tanaka before any teachers do. Maybe they’ll get off easy if I can get them to return to detention and apologize…” Asahi trails off, not sounding very confident. “It’s worth a try, anyways.”

Hinata waves as Asahi departs, more confused about the trio’s relationship than before.

Finally, he makes his way to the front of the crowd, squirming to get past students taller than him so that he can get a good view of the test. After a string of ‘excuse me’s and ‘sorry, coming through’s, he finds the perfect spot to watch the test.

Well, perfect aside from the fact that he finds himself standing next to Kageyama. He’s not quite sure whether to say anything or not. At this point, Kageyama has noticed him too, so both of them are just standing there silently, trying to puzzle the other out.

Their standoff is interrupted by the booming voice of Ukai Keishin, teacher for the EAT Class Karasuno. The other teachers of EAT classes stand behind him, and Tsukishima and Yamaguchi stand before him in the middle of the EAT field.

“The exam is about to begin,” Ukai begins. “Anyone is welcome to observe so long as they do not interfere.” He turns his attention to Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, saying, “You two will need to be able to perform under pressure anyways, if you’re going to be EAT students.”

“The exam is simple: when I give the word, you will work with your partner to strike down as many targets as possible. The other EAT teachers and I will judge your performance to pass or fail you. Fail, and you stay in the NOT class. Pass, and we will decide whose class will take you and you will be EAT students. Begin!”

Around Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, wooden dummies with targets painted on their chests begin to move quickly, despite the rickety appearance of the wheels on their bases. Something about the way they move seems unnatural. They bob and weave to avoid attacks, but Hinata can’t even tell what’s moving them.

Without further ado, Tsukishima holds his hand out in front of him and Yamaguchi transforms. His weapon form is a black compound bow. When Tsukishima pulls back on the bowstring, an arrow made of blue light appears, shining off both the sleek bow and Tsukishima’s expressionless face. The image might be intimidating if Hinata wasn’t too busy being jealous of Tsukishima for being able to take the EAT exam to care.

For all Tsukishima’s pretension the other day, his performance is decidedly average. He and Yamaguchi hit every target they aim for, but Tsukishima takes his time doing so, and he only ever hits the second and third rings from the bullseye. Hinata glances at the EAT teachers, but all of their faces are stoic and, having never seen an EAT entrance exam before, Hinata can’t tell if Tsukishima is doing well enough to pass.

Finally, Ukai calls for Tsukishima and Yamaguchi to stop. He and the other EAT teachers have a short conversation in hushed voices. When they’re done, Ukai turns towards Tsukishima and the now-human form of Yamaguchi.

“Congratulations,” he says, and Hinata feels a familiar jealousy crawl into his throat. “You’re now an EAT student. Welcome to Class Karasuno.”

As Ukai begins to give instructions to Tsukishima and Yamaguchi about their schedule change, the crowd around the field thins. Hinata, however, stays frozen in place, fists clenched so hard that his nails dig into his palm. Not only does Tsukishima have a partner before even coming to DWMA, he’s the first of their class to get into EAT _and_ he gets into Class Karasuno. Why should that jerk get to be in a class with Noya, Tanaka, Asahi, and Suga before Hinata even gets a partner? It’s not _fair_ , it’s—

“One more.” Hinata’s thoughts are interrupted by a voice at his side.

“Huh?” Hinata turns to find Kageyama, still standing there alongside Hinata, glaring in Tsukishima’s direction.

“One more,” he repeats. “Let’s try and synchronize one more time. I… I can do it this time.” He turns towards Hinata, blue eyes filled with a mix of emotions. Anger, jealousy, longing. _Determination_.

“Alright,” Hinata says slowly. He’s not getting left behind by Tsukishima, of all people. “One more.”

\--

“Well, that was more boring than I expected,” Kindaichi says casually as he and Kunimi leave the EAT field. “They weren’t even that good.”

“What did you expect?” Kunimi asks in a bored tone, looking straight ahead. “Takeda-sensei did say all they needed to do was prove they can work as partners. Besides, we haven’t been here for a month yet; they can’t get _that_ good in that amount of time.”

Kindaichi sighs. “Yeah, I guess.” He falls silent, but as the silence stretches on, Kunimi finds himself looking over at Kindaichi. He’s staring back with a strange expression on his face.

“What?” Kunimi says, a bit sharper than he meant to. He lifts his shoulders self-consciously, wondering if he has something on his face.

“You said you came here because you didn’t have much choice, right?” Kindaichi says.

“Yes. And?”

“Well…” The strange expression is back, and Kunimi realizes it’s thoughtfulness that’s covering Kindaichi’s face. “Why are you aiming for the EAT class? You don’t have to, and you didn’t seem too happy about coming here at all.”

Kunimi just shrugs and avoids eye contact, but Kindaichi doesn’t give up. “C’mon,” he says, bumping his shoulder into Kunimi’s. “I’ve never seen you do anything without a reason. Or anything that you could avoid, for that matter.”

“I guess…” Kunimi starts slowly, as if he hasn’t given it much thought before now. “The EAT class just seems like the only one that’s worth it.”

At the blank look on Kindaichi’s face, he continues, “I mean, I’m going to have to be here until I graduate no matter what, right? I’m already good at Plasmology, so it won’t take any extra effort to get into the EAT class, and if I have to put energy into this whole ‘being a weapon’ thing, it might as well be in EAT. The NOT class is basically a joke, so if I graduate from EAT, I could probably get a nice job anywhere Lord Death has influence without putting in any more work.”

“So… You’re being lazy for the long run?”

Kunimi has to hide a smile at that. Leave it to Kindaichi to sum up his life plan in such a simple, yet admittedly accurate, way. “Yeah, sure. Let’s call it that.”

Kindaichi smiles at him and Kunimi feels the tension drain between them. It isn’t long before they reach the turn that will take them back towards their dorms, but Kindaichi doesn’t take it.

“Um, where are you headed?” Kunimi asks, pausing in front of the path that leads to the dorms.

“Well, I promised we’d synchronize next time we got the chance, right? Well, Takeda-sensei should still be by the NOT training field,” Kindaichi says as if it’s obvious. As if the idea of finally trying to synchronize with someone doesn’t make Kunimi’s stomach flutter in a vaguely uncomfortable way.

After all, he’d left the first mandatory synchronization practice with Kindaichi after the fiasco with Kageyama, and he hadn’t gotten the chance to synchronize with anyone. After the first practice, all the synchronization sessions were optional for people still looking for partners, and Kunimi hadn’t bothered to go. Half of it was simply because he’d rather just stay in his dorm, and the other half was nervousness at the thought of letting someone into his soul.

He doesn’t plan on it, too busy worrying over all the reasons he’s put it off so far, but when Kunimi finally opens his mouth, he finds himself saying, “Alright.” And the smile on Kindaichi’s face just might make it worth it.

He and Kindaichi make it to the NOT field near the end of the scheduled practice session, and there are only a few people left. They get a staff supervisor and Kunimi steadies himself with a deep breath before focusing on his transformation.

Kunimi can count on his fingers the amount of times he’s purposely transformed into his weapon form. Before his first transformation, coming to DWMA wasn’t something he’d ever even considered.

Still, having Kindaichi by his side somehow makes it easier to let go of his human form and take on his weapon form. Immediately, he can feel Kindaichi’s wavelength wash over him. It’s overwhelming, yet peaceful at the same time, like gently floating beneath the surface of calm water. It’s everywhere, but not aggressively so.

Kindaichi looks down at Kunimi’s weapon form: a strange looking sword. It’s relatively unassuming, a steel blade with an undecorated steel handle, but when the sunlight reflects off the blade, Kindaichi can see that it is not smooth. There are small grooves all along the blade, as if it was pieced together by smaller squares of metal instead of one long blade.

The handle itself is also unusually bulky, and upon closer inspection there seems to be some kind of mechanism in it. Despite the strangeness of the blade, Kindaichi feels a sense of comfort, and it takes him a moment to realize it’s coming from Kunimi’s wavelength.

Kunimi’s wavelength is much like his soul: unassuming at first glance, but more complex and interesting the closer you looked. His wavelength seems to be happy humming just under the surface of Kindaichi’s, letting him take the lead. It’s a gentle presence in Kindaichi’s soul, but there’s power behind it, almost like it’s waiting for the right moment to be called upon.

It’s over almost too soon for Kindaichi. Kunimi transforms back into his human form and says, “Well, I guess that settles it. Partners?” There’s a slight hesitance in his voice when he asks, as if he’s not entirely sure Kindaichi felt the same way as him.

“Definitely. Let’s go sign up with Takeda-sensei,” Kindaichi says, and Kunimi wonders why he even hesitated in the first place.

After filling out the paperwork, Kindaichi and Kunimi head back to their dorm together. On their way back, Kindaichi gives Kunimi another one of his sideways glances that Kunimi is starting to recognize as Kindaichi about to ask something personal.

“So,” Kindaichi starts, trying for a casual tone. Unfortunately for him, the _trying_ comes in clearer than the _casual_. “What was it like for you? The synchronization, I mean.”

Kunimi gives him an appraising look before responding. “I assumed it was probably the same as what you felt.”

Kindaichi shrugs. “Well, I clearly felt your soul, but my soul is… well, it’s mine. It’s not like I noticed anything different about it. I figure we probably noticed each other’s souls more than our own, and I guess I was curious.”

When Kunimi takes his time to answer, Kindaichi wonders to himself whether or not he should have asked at all. “You’re too much,” Kunimi finally says, breaking Kindaichi out of his thoughts.

Kindaichi’s first instinct is to feel nervous at the statement, but he has to look closely at Kunimi to recognize the tilt of his eyes and the slight tug of his lips into an almost-smile. He’s joking, harkening back to their conversation about why Kunimi came to DWMA in the first place. “In a good way?” Kindaichi asks with a smile of his own, continuing Kunimi’s joking tone.

Kunimi pretends to think it over before offering Kindaichi a real smile—the kind with teeth, no less, that Kindaichi’s never seen on him before—and saying, “In the best way.”

\--

Yaku’s trips to the Trash Heap were never exactly _peaceful_. It’s the cost of his friend circle, he supposes. They can be annoying and rowdy and way too involved in his love life (Yaku still maintains that Kuroo was ultimately the one who ruined his chances with the tall, green-eyed NOT student from last year), but Yaku still loved them. They were idiots, but they were _his_ idiots.

But they’re really testing that love right about now.

The thing about going to the Trash Heap to study is that Yaku knows he’s not actually going to study. Usually he can read a few paragraphs before the others rope him into their conversation. Today, however, he’s barely through the door before shouts are directed at him.

What’s different about today? He walks in with Lev.

Now, Yaku is starting to get used to Lev himself. He’s still overly eager and annoying, but Yaku can deal with it. They’re starting to form a real partnership and Yaku might even admit to liking him soon. The real problem is how Lev has changed their group’s dynamic.

Yamamoto and Inuoka are already hanging out in some mismatched chairs while Kuroo tries to cram more books into the overflowing shelves. A bell rings as Yaku pushes open the door and Yamamoto calls out, “Hey guys! How’re our favorite NOT students?”

Yaku rolls his eyes and drops his bag on a table next to them, content to lean on a bookshelf instead of sitting down. “You just saw us yesterday, it’s not like anything new has happened.”

“I heard the first EAT exam happened today,” Inuoka says. “Did you guys go watch?”

“No, I’ve had enough of watching EAT exams from last year,” Yaku says. “The next EAT exam I’m going to be at is mine.”

“And I didn’t want to go without Yaku,” Lev adds as he pulls another chair over to their group and sits down.

“Speaking of EAT exams,” Kuroo says, shifting a box of books in his hands so he can look at the group, “when are you and Lev going to finally take yours?” And there it is. Another excuse for everyone to rib him about his relationship— _partnership_ —with Lev.

“Come on, Yaku!” Inuoka says. “You guys are totally a shoo-in for Class Nekoma. Nekomata has totally wanted you since last year, and now that you’re partnered with Lev, you can finally join us.”

“And you’re such good partners, too,” Kuroo says. Yaku throws him a warning glare over Lev’s head. Luckily, Kuroo doesn’t continue any further, which only serves to make Yaku suspicious.

“It’d be so cool to move up to EAT,” Lev says, sighing dreamily. “I’ve been training really hard to get ready for it. I can’t wait to start making Yaku into a Death Scythe.”

“Well don’t get too far ahead of yourself,” Yamamoto says, but there’s a fondness in his voice. He might tease Yaku, but it’s not like he hasn’t grown closer to Lev as a friend. “EAT is some serious stuff, and you’re still a newbie.”

“But I’ve got Yaku by my side!” Lev says. Yamamoto and Inuoka both turn to give Yaku a look. Inuoka’s face seems to say _Aw, how cute_ , whereas Yamamoto opts for something more along the lines of _I’m never letting you live this down_.

Yaku is about to start kicking people, but at that moment Lev turns towards him with a smile like sunshine and says, “We’ll definitely do it together!”

Just like that, Yaku’s mind goes blank. His only coherent thought is that his friends’ jokes have _clearly_ been getting to his head. Because Lev’s smile should not look that cute and Yaku should definitely just say something about him being overenthusiastic, but instead he wants to agree.

“Well, we’re not joining EAT for nothing,” he settles on, hoping no one notices his lapse in rational thought. He feels his face heating up and silently begs any Powers That Be to keep it from turning red.

Being embarrassed around Lev is not new, but the reason accompanying it this time is. Lev making a scene in public, Yamamoto and Kuroo poking fun at him, _those_ are at least reasonable to flush at. They’re not his proudest moments, but no one would blame him for turning red.

Lev smiling at him definitely does not make the list of reasonable causes to blush.

 _Maybe Kuroo was right about it being a type_ , he thinks, almost feeling betrayed by himself at the thought. _At least that way it’ll probably just pass after I get used to being around him. Height and green eyes can’t keep this feeling going forever._

But Yaku knows that’s wishful thinking. If it had been Lev’s looks that made this… uncomfortable situation happen, then he would’ve felt it when he first met Lev. This was something much, _much_ worse.

While Yaku was preoccupied by his own mind, Yamamoto, Inuoka, and Lev had gotten into a loud conversation about EAT, complete with wild gesturing. To keep himself from doing or saying anything he will majorly regret, Yaku picks up his bag and says, “Well, I’m obviously not getting any studying done here. I’m going back to my dorm. See you guys later.”

He intends on turning and leaving before anyone gets the chance to say anything, but Kuroo is already between him and the door, the box in his hands now empty. “I’ve got to go throw this in the recycling bin around the corner; I can walk with you.”

Yaku knows it’s probably an excuse—Kuroo would usually just dump the cardboard in a corner for Futakuchi to find later—but he doesn’t have a reason to disagree, so he and Kuroo make their way out of the Trash Heap.

They’re barely outside before Kuroo speaks. “Can’t handle the crush?” he asks in a light tone. If Yaku hadn’t known him as well as he did, he wouldn’t have been able to tell he was being teased.

Instead of replying, Yaku grits his teeth and determinedly keeps his eyes forward. It’s the wrong decision, because Kuroo immediately stops in his tracks, eyes widening.

“Oh my god. You _do_ have a crush,” he says. It’s not even a question anymore, just a statement of fact.

Yaku turns back to face Kuroo and he _knows_ his face gives everything away.

“Wow,” Kuroo says, sincerely surprised. “I mean, I figured you had the hots for him and everything, but this is a legitimate _crush_. You’re _crushing_.”

When Yaku still doesn’t respond he continues, “Oh, man. Do you want us to quit with the jokes? Like, it’s funny to rile you up, but if you’re really uncomfortable… But, I mean, Yamamoto probably won’t stop unless you actually tell him about—“

“God, no,” Yaku says, horrified. “ _No one_ hears about this. At all. I’ll… I’ll deal with it. It’s just a little…” He pauses, not willing to say the word. “It’ll pass eventually,” he says instead.

Kuroo smirks at him, eyebrows raised. “Wow. You are _fantastic_ at lying to yourself.”

“ _Shut it.”_


	7. Working Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which what we all knew was going to happen happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in so long. I've been really busy lately and actually interacting with other people like a normal person (weird, right?). Anyways this chapter's a little shorter than normal, but to extend it I'd have to write another scene that fits better in the next chapter and I figure it's better to post this now and try and get the next chapter up faster.
> 
>  
> 
> [my tumblr](http://basementtreasure.tumblr.com/)

When Kageyama wakes up in the morning, Hinata isn't there. When he goes for a morning run, he doesn't see Hinata anywhere on campus. At both breakfast and lunch, there is no flash of orange hair in the corner of his eye. It's not unlike Hinata and Kageyama to try and avoid each other, but today is different.

Today they are going to sync. Kageyama will make sure of it.

It's already late afternoon when Kageyama is pacing back at his dorm, still not having seen Hinata. A knock on the door startles him out of his thoughts. He crosses the room quickly and yanks open the door.

He's greeted by Suga's voice. "You ready?"

He nods. "I can do it this time." There's something in Suga's eyes he can't quite recognize. Suga lingers in the doorway, regarding him. Then he gestures for Kageyama to follow and begins to lead him to the same place he and Hinata first attempted to sync.

Hinata is waiting there for him with Daichi. Daichi and Suga seem to have a conversation with only looks. Dismissing it as an undecipherable connection between partners, Kageyama makes his way to Hinata.

"You're soul is flexible. It can definitely handle my wavelength," he says matter-of-factly, because he isn't sure how else to sound supportive. Hinata snorts, but it isn't mean-spirited. 

"You're so weird. Let's do this," he says, a hungry spark filling his eyes. "Don't hold back."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

As Kageyama lets his physical form dissipate and take on his weapon form, he focuses on Hinata's wavelength. It buzzes excitedly around him. Instead of trying to force it to conform to his, he tries to imagine himself guiding it gently. 

Hinata's soul jerks and stutters. Kageyama pulls his own wavelength back to try again. Hinata's wavelength keeps changing and Kageyama can't make out a pattern. Usually Hinata's soul adjust to those around it, but for some reason, it doesn't seem to be mimicking anything or even settling as its own wavelength.

So far, Hinata doesn't seem to be pain, which is an improvement, but his face is contorted in frustration. A bead of sweat runs down his forehead.

For a moment, his wavelength surges close to Kageyama's, so Kageyama takes the opportunity to try and keep it steady. As soon as he focuses on it though, Hinata's arms seize up and Kageyama can feel his soul pushing him out. He doesn't hesitate this time; he detransforms.

It takes Kageyama a second to reorient himself after the transformation, but after he does, the first thing on his mind is Hinata. He frantically looks to him, but to both his relief and dismay, Hinata looked bitter, not in pain.

"Why can't we do this?" Hinata growls to himself. He clenches and unclenches his fist, then huffs and crosses his arms, as if he isn't sure how to properly express his frustration. Daichi puts a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Suga is staring at Kageyama again with the same look as inside his dorm.

"Kageyama..." he starts slowly. "Don't you think you're still doing the same thing as before?"

Kageyama feels his blood run cold. A deadly sort of calm falls over him. "What?" It doesn't really sound like a question.

Suga holds up a hand. "Just hear me out. Hinata's strength is his flexible soul, and isn't your wavelength killing that? He's not a prodigy who can match you by sheer force of will." Hinata looks vaguely sour at that comment.

"But," Suga continues, "his potential is tops. You... you need to change how look at your sync and, um." He falters and his calm hand gesture turns vague and frantic. "Like... Use that... Somehow. To your advantage?"

Kageyama lets out a breath and turns Suga's words over in his head. He starts to put together the pieces in the mystery of why their synchronization failed. He takes a moment to thank Suga for his advice and gets a warm smile in return before he heads over to Hinata.

Hinata looks at him wearily as he approaches. Kageyama awkwardly stops in front of him, just a little too much space between them. He takes a breath to build up his confidence, and faces Hinata with shoulders back and head high.

"You suck at controlling your wavelength." Hinata opens his mouth to retort, but Kageyama continues, "So, I shouldn't have expected you too. When you try and focus on your wavelength to change it, it goes haywire. So don't try and do anything with it. I'll match you completely." 

Kageyama pauses and feels like he should say something more. "Will you be my partner?" he tries. It must do something, because Hinata smiles at him. 

"Okay. I'll wield you, and trust you to do the rest."

Behind them, Daichi sends Suga a look that says, _I told you so._  


Suga sends back one that says, _I did all the work._  


Kageyama and Hinata face each other once more, and something that's not quite understanding passes between them. A mutual determination, maybe. It feels big and important and vaguely heavy on their hearts, but also strangely comforting. 

As Kageyama transforms, Hinata clears his mind of everything except the weight of the bo staff in his hands. It feels balanced so he gives it an experimental spin. He's barely held a bo staff before, but suddenly he knows exactly how to move his hands, and at certain moments he swore he didn't even have to move, just think about what he wanted and Kageyama responded. 

On Kageyama's side of the transformation, he feels more aware of souls than he ever had before, despite the fact he'd been able to see them since junior high. He feels every shift of Hinata's soul and matches it perfectly to the point where he begins to anticipate the seemingly random jumps and adjust simultaneously. It's almost like a dance, and Kageyama wonders if this is how other people felt when they synchronize. When they don't reject. When Hinata's soul isn't struggling and erratic, it's actually kind of... nice. It's like the breath just before diving into water: big and bursting with energy and invigorating. Like he's ready for anything.

Finally Hinata stills, and just looks at Kageyama. A smile spreads across his face with the knowledge that he's finally a real meister. "It worked," he says softly, and he's not sure whether he's saying it to Suga and Daichi, himself, or Kageyama. 

"You make a good team," Suga says. "I knew you could do it."

Kageyama detransforms, appearing at Hinata's side. "Thank you for everything," he says.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Hinata breaks in, almost bouncing with excitement. "Let's go tell Takeda-sensei we're partners!" He takes a moment to savor the word _partners_  on his tongue. Then, he takes off at a run, yelling a goodbye to Suga and Daichi over his shoulder.

"Hey! Don't just start running, idiot!" Kageyama yells, then sprints after him.

Suga sighs contently after them. "They might be working together, but I don't think they'll ever change." He turns to Daichi to find him giving Suga a _look_. "What?"

"'I knew you could do it,'" Daichi quotes. "You were the one who doubted they could work together!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Suga says airily. "I had complete faith in them."

Daichi rolls his eyes, but gives Suga a fond smile after. " _Sure._ "

\--

"It's gonna be fine!"

"Yeah, there's nothing to worry about!"

"You just have to remember to stay calm!"

"Everything's gonna work out! Don't be nervous, Yaku."

Yaku has Yamamoto over one shoulder and Inuoka over the other, showering him in advice and support. Which is nice, it really is, except...

"Guys!" He pushes them off of him. "I'm not nervous. You two, on the other hand, have been jittery since yesterday, and I'm the one taking the entrance exam."

"Sorry," Inuoka says. "It's just... well, you could finally be joining us in Class Nekoma!"

"We're excited for you," Yamamoto adds, giving Yaku a punch to the shoulder. "Anyways, where's the lucky guy?" He looks around for Lev, who is supposed to meet them before the exam so they can walk there together.

"Please don't phrase it like I'm getting married," Yaku deadpans. Where's Kuroo with a subject change when he needs him?

"Well, you are getting _partnered_ ," Inuoka begins, but cuts himself off at the glare Yaku is sending his way. 

"You've got to be at least a little nervous," Yamamoto says. "I mean, you've been waiting over a year for this."

Yaku allows himself a small smile. "Yeah. It's been a long time coming. But I really am fine. I'm ready to move up to EAT and I know Lev and I can do it. He's a surprisingly good fighter for someone with the personality of 20 kittens in a trenchcoat." 

There's a beat of silence before Inuoka and Yamamoto burst into laughter. Yaku feels his face heat a bit, wondering whether he'd come off as teasing or crushing. "Well, am I _wrong_?" he says defensively.

"You're totally right and it's hilarious," Yamamoto says and Yaku feels his shoulders relax a bit.

It isn't long before Kuroo and Lev join them and the group heads down to the EAT field. Yamamoto and Inuoka give a few more nervous assurances just before Yaku and Lev step onto the field to start the exam.

Kuroo gives Yaku a smirk. "Go get 'em, tiger," he says, but he glances at Lev instead of the field.

Yaku makes a face at him, but smiles to show that he still hasn't crossed a line with teasing him about Lev. "See you after we're EAT students," he says.

Lev had been uncharacteristically quiet during the walk over, and on the field he gets that same intense look in his eyes that he had when he and Yaku first synced. It does something weird with Yaku's heart whenever he makes that face. If his smile makes Yaku's heart flutter, this face makes it still, like everything else is faded and the only thing that matters is that moment, that face.

Yaku shakes himself out of his reverie to listen to Ukai give his regular explanation about the exam and then Yaku transforms. Lev's concentration doesn't curb his enthusiasm, and he swings Yaku's whip form with plenty of strength and speed, the bladed end slashing across multiple targets with each arc.

When the exam ends, neither of them have any doubts that they've passed. Their teamwork has improved tremendously in the short time they've known each other. Ukai comes forward to announce their new class.

"Welcome to Class Nekoma."

Yaku, now detransformed, gives Lev a wide smile, which is returned with equal excitement. They can hear Yamamoto, Inuoka, and Kuroo cheering loudly over the polite clapping of the other spectators.

\--

If someone told Hinata one week ago that he'd be voluntarily going out to dinner alone with Kageyama, he'd think they have a few screws loose. Yet here he is, in downtown Death City, sitting across from Kageyama under the pretext that, as partners, they should get to know each other better.

"So..." Hinata says, drawing out the syllable as he balances his fork between one finger and the table. "You learned Soul Perception before you even got here, right? How'd that happen?"

Kageyama shrugs. "I just tried it and it worked."

Hinata lets the fork drop. "Really? Isn't it, like, a really advanced technique? How old were you when you tried it?"

"I was in junior high. I got interested in Plasmology, so I looked into it and found these research papers by a retired meister, Dr. Stein. He did some amazing work with Wavelength Theory."

"Wavelength Theory?"

"Yeah, the theory that souls are made of and emit a wavelength, like sound or light," Kageyama explains, and Hinata is surprised by the lack of judgement in his voice. He thought Kageyama would judge him for not knowing about it, but instead, he just seems interested in talking about it.

"So these research papers were your inspiration?" Hinata asks.

Kageyama pauses for just a moment. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. I built my own theory off of them."

"You have your own theory about souls?" Hinata crosses his arms across the table and leans forward. "As much as I hate to admit it, that's actually kind of cool."

To Hinata's surprise, Kageyama lets the subtle jab slide, already absorbed in the topic of souls and theories that fly just a bit too far over Hinata's head. Kageyama begins to explain his own theory, and it's the first time Hinata's seen his face without any trace of irritation. The only problem is...

"I don't get it."

Kageyama sighs, and that little crinkle in his brow is back, but he takes a deep breath and says, "Have you ever played volleyball?"

Hinata doesn't get what that has to do with souls, but he says, "Yeah. I was on my junior high's team. We weren't very good, though."

Kageyama nods. "Okay, think of it this way: if you're going to block a spike, where do you want to jump?"

"In front of the spiker?" Hinata says, unsure where this is going.

"Yes, exactly. You want to match the spiker's position. Think of that like matching the wavelength of your enemy. If you do it just right, you'll be able to block the spike and cancel out the attack. That's Stein's theory."

Hinata nods slowly. "Okay, that makes sense. The spiker can't hit your side of the court if the block is in the right position. And if you match your opponent's wavelength, they can't hit you?"

"Well, they can _physically_  hit you, but there's no soul energy behind the attack, and that's what makes demon weapons strong," Kageyama says.

"So then, your theory is about 'opposites', right?"

"Yeah. Stein's theory is all about an impenetrable defense. _But_ , if you're attacking, where's the last place you want to jump?"

"In front of the blocker," Hinata says with more confidence than his last answer.

"Right, so if the blocker is on one side of the court, where do you jump?"

"The opposite side!" Hinata smiles wide, and for a moment it feels like he and Kageyama are really on the same page. Then Kageyama pulls back.

"But Ukai said it won't work," he says, slightly sullen. "There isn't anyone who can pull it off successfully."

Hinata is painfully reminded of the fact that he can't control his own wavelength at all. Kageyama is only half-right. Hinata is sure Kageyama could pull it off, but he doesn't have a partner that can.

"Well, at least I ended up partnered with you," Kageyama says, snapping Hinata out of his thoughts.

"What do you mean?"

Kageyama gives him a slightly scary smile. "With your erratic wavelength, nobody'll be able to pin it down. They won't know what to expect, or how to counter it."

It's not exactly what Hinata thought would cheer him up, but it does the job. It's something he can use, so he will. Just because he's Kageyama's partner now doesn't mean he's going to stop trying to prove him wrong about Hinata being weak. He's going to fight with everything he's got, even his rival. 

He's just about to go back to eating when Kageyama speaks again. "So what about you?"

"Huh?" Hinata looks up from his food.

"Well, we've talked about me and my theory. We're supposed to be getting to know each other, right? So what about you? How'd you get interested in being a meister?"

"Doesn't every kid dream about being a hero?" Hinata says, nostalgia creeping into his voice as he thinks about his childhood.

"Not every kid comes to DWMA," Kageyama counters. "Is that it?"

"Not... totally," Hinata says. "I guess there was one thing that really started it for me."

Kageyama waits for Hinata to continue, so Hinata clears his throat and says, "When I was about 12, a meister and his partner came to my town. They were just stopping on their way to the headquarters of the East Asia DWMA branch." Hinata pauses again, glancing up at Kageyama as if he's unsure if he wants to continue. "And the thing is... the meister was short."

He waits for Kageyama to say something snide, but Kageyama just looks at Hinata, waiting for the rest of the story. Even with their new partnership, Hinata is surprised Kageyama doesn't make fun of him for being inspired by a short meister. It's almost nice. Almost. He still hasn't quite let go of the weeks of annoyance.

"This was when I was first getting into volleyball, so I was always told how short I was and how I couldn't be a great player because of that," he continues. "So seeing someone who saved lives and defeated evil that looked like me... It made me think that I could do something great too. Before that, I always wondered what might happen if I was a weapon, but seeing that meister made me sure that I wanted to be a meister. He looked so cool and confident and important."

Kageyama nods. "I know what you mean." Hinata waits for him to say something more, but he doesn't, so Hinata goes ahead and starts describing his family to fill the silence.

He tells Kageyama about his parents and Natsu, about their house near the mountains and the bike rides he took there, and about how he missed all of it. The only other person he'd talked to about this is Lev, and it does make him feel closer to Kageyama.

In turn, he learns that Kageyama was a starting setter for his volleyball team (when he asks Hinata about his position, he calls himself the captain, which isn't a lie, but doesn't mention that he was the only player at all for his first two years) and that he learned he was a weapon in his third year of junior high.

"Wait, doesn't that mean you figured out Soul Perception and your theory in less than a year before coming here?" Hinata interrupts.

"Yeah," Kageyama says plainly, paying no attention to Hinata's shocked expression.

"How?" Hinata practically shouts, food forgotten by this point.

Kageyama shrugs. "I practiced."

Hinata shakes his head in disbelief. "You're so weird."

"Hey! I'm not the dumbass who didn't know Wavelength Theory!" Kageyama says defensively.

Instead of provoking Hinata, it makes him laugh. "It wasn't an insult. Not totally." Kageyama stops shouting, but he still glares at Hinata. Still, the glare doesn't make him feel the same way it did on his first day. "Oh, stop making such a grumpy face. It's scary." He pokes at Kageyama's cheek, only to get his hand slapped away.

"Dumbass," Kageyama grumbles once more. It also sounds like a not-totally-an-insult.

After dinner, they head back to their dorm, but as they cut through one of the academic buildings to get there, Hinata spots three familiar figures. The shortest of them releases a loud groan. "This is so unfair! A whole month of detention for a few trees?"

"Noya?" Hinata asks, approaching the three students. Nishinoya and Tanaka are sullenly mopping the floor of the hallway while Asahi stands against the wall.

"Shoyo!" Noya says excitedly, dropping his mop. 

"You're still in detention, Yuu," Asahi reminds him. Noya sticks his tongue out at Asahi before picking the mop back up. "Hi, Hinata. Who's this?" Asahi looks over to Kageyama.

"Guys, this is my partner, Kageyama," Hinata says. 

"Oh, so _you're_  the freshman that's been giving Suga a hard time," Tanaka says. "You two worked it out, though? That's awesome!" He holds up his hand for a high-five, and Hinata enthusiastically accepts. 

"Since Suga and Daichi set you guys up, you're probably gonna end up with us in Class Karasuno, right?" Noya says. "Man, it'd be awesome if you joined our team!"

"Team?" Hinata echoes, confused.

"In the EAT class, we can form a team made up of multiple sets of partners. That way, we're allowed to go on more dangerous missions and take down stronger evil souls," Asahi explains. "Right now our team is just us and Daichi and Suga."

"Oh, that would be awesome, then!" Hinata says. He turns to Kageyama excitedly, and notices the slightly hesitant expression on his face. He realizes Kageyama hasn't said a word the whole time. Hinata hadn't even introduced him to Noya, Asahi, and Tanaka. 

Luckily, Noya brings Kageyama into the conversation for him. "So, Kageyama, since we're gonna be teammates, we should get to know each other," he says, hopping up a little to swing his arm over Kageyama's shoulder and landing on his toes. "I'm Noya, that's Tanaka, and over there is our killjoy third Asahi."

Asahi sighs, "You have to serve your detention, Yuu." Noya sticks his tongue out.

"What are you in detention anyway?"  Kageyama asks. 

Noya hesitates. "It wasn't our fault," he says, face going slightly pink. "We did exactly what we were supposed to be doing."

Tanaka suddenly becomes very interested in his mop and cleans the floor with more attention than he had even before Hinata and Kageyama came up to them. When he doesn't offer any more explanation, Noya continues, "We were doing this exercise in class to help identify soul wavelengths. You go into the forest and have to find your partner by finding their wavelength. Tanaka and I found each other pretty early, but it was mostly luck."

Noya looks over at Tanaka until he finally sighs and stops his mopping. "We figured to make it easier for Asahi to find us, we could resonate and make our wavelengths more noticeable." 

"Yuu tripped," Asahi finishes flatly. "The soul energy went haywire and they blew up a section of the forest."

"Hey! It wasn't a whole 'section'!" Noya protests. "It was only a few trees!"

"Trees that no longer exist. Anyways," Asahi turns back to Hinata and Kageyama. "These two need to finish their detention. Nice to meet you, Kageyama. See you two around."

"Bye Asahi," Hinata says, trying to keep a laugh from bubbling out as Noya and Tanaka mutter about trees and 'good ideas' under their breath as they mop.

Without even thinking about it, he reaches out and grabs Kageyama's wrist to walk away. Once he realizes what he's done, he stiffens, but Kageyama doesn't do anything but wave politely as they leave the three behind them. Hinata wonders if he'd draw too much attention to his hand if he pulled away now. He remembers Noya grabbing Tanaka by the wrist before. Is it just a partner thing? Is it okay and that's why Kageyama isn't doing anything.

Hinata almost wishes he still hated Kageyama. Things were a lot simpler then. 


	8. Dream Come True

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hinata and Kageyama take an exam to solidify their partnership. They're still _them_ , though, and partnership doesn't negate competition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... It's been a while, huh?  
> ...Whoops.  
> Real life has been crazy this last year (good crazy though), so I haven't been writing fanfic a lot. I'm trying to change that, but I am going to make this less of a priority in my life than it was when I started. During summer, I should be still getting chapters out, but it'll slow down a lot in fall/winter.  
> I will NOT be abandoning.  
> I've also shortened my goal for chapters. They used to all be 4k, but honestly was a big undertaking that probably made me put it off longer. From now on I'm aiming for 2.5-3k.  
> Thanks for sticking with me!
> 
>  
> 
> [my tumblr](http://basementtreasure.tumblr.com/)

Hinata wakes up before Kageyama on the day of their entrance exam. There is no grogginess, no urge to remain in bed for just a few more minutes. He has just opened his eyes and is already buzzing with energy. He lies still for a few moments, watching Kageyama across the room. His back is to Hinata, so he can only make out the dark hair spilling onto the pillow and the steady movement of his chest rising and falling under the blanket. 

A small smile sneaks its way across his face. He has a _partner_. And today, they'll get to prove their worth and join the EAT class. He slips quietly out of bed, deciding to let Kageyama sleep as long as he can, and heads to the bathroom to get ready. He hears Kageyama's alarm go off in the other room and his chest feels light when it clicks off.

"Morning," he says, exiting the bathroom with a spring in his step. “Ready to be an EAT student?”

“We haven’t passed yet,” Kageyama says bluntly.

“Do you _have_ to ruin everything?” Hinata deflates.

“Don’t get complacent,” Kageyama responds. “If we assume we’re going to pass, we won’t work as hard.”

“Aah, that’s fair,” Hinata sighs in defeat. “But we’re not holding back, remember?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Kageyama says with a smirk. Hinata remembers their first synchronization and feels pins-and-needles in the tips of his fingers. It’s strange how his ache to be wielding Kageyama again feels similar to the rejection of their failed attempts.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Kageyama asks, pulling on his jacket. “We’ve got an exam to ace.”

\--

Their exam ends up having quite the crowd gathered, especially considering there had already been a few exams before theirs. Both Class Nekoma and Class Karasuno had a strong presence, and Hinata got encouragement yelled from all directions as he passed through the crowd to get to the field. Even Yachi is there, giving him a smile and a thumbs-up.

“You have a lot of friends for someone who just got to this school,” Kageyama says, quietly enough so that only Hinata hears him.

“You’d be surprised how many friends you can make when you aren’t being a huge jerk all the time,” Hinata says. Kageyama’s expression darkens, so Hinata elbows him in the side. “Good thing you’re my partner now. We’ve just got to get you to stop making that scary face all the time and you’ll have plenty of friends.”

“Shut up,” Kageyama mutters. Hinata takes it as gratitude.

They make it to the center of the field and Hinata can feel the eyes of everyone on him and Kageyama. Exhilaration runs through him and he flashes Kageyama a wide smile. The tingling in his fingers grows and he can’t wait for Ukai to give the word for them to begin. The exam starts and Hinata is already swinging Kageyama’s bo staff form by the time the light fades from his transformation.

The bo staff rams satisfyingly into the center of the target, knocking it back several feet. Hinata’s already moving, taking a step towards the next closest target and swinging the staff with his momentum. This time, he sweeps low at the wheels of the target and it falls backwards onto the ground.

He lets go with one hand and moves the other towards a third target. He doesn’t even have to hold on for the staff to twirl around his wrist, coming to a rest exactly where he needs to grip it again.

The more he fights, the more he isn’t sure where these moves are coming from. He went over the basics with Kageyama of course, but he’s not really thinking about his lessons right now. He just knows what feels right and acts accordingly.

Another target comes charging at him. He sidesteps and swings at the back of its ‘head’, using its own momentum to bring it down. It feels even better than he’d anticipated to have targets falling down around him. He can’t quite say that he feels Kageyama’s soul, but there is this vague _something_ that’s urging him on. He feels like he could take on the world.

Ukai calls for the exam to end and the fallen targets right themselves and roll away. Kageyama detransforms, now standing beside Hinata as they wait for their results to be announced. Hinata can’t read the expressions on the teachers’ faces, but he feels like they did well. Still, he can’t stop his stomach from rolling when Ukai turns back to them, ready to reveal their fate in front of everyone.

Ukai’s face is stoic and Hinata holds his breath. “Congratulations,” Ukai says, a grin forming. “You passed. You’ll be joining Class Karasuno.”

Hinata hears the excited yells of Noya and Tanaka in the crowd behind him, but doesn’t turn to acknowledge them yet. Instead, he looks at Kageyama, whose eyes are lit up the same way they were when he talked about his theories to Hinata. They meet eyes, a wild and ecstatic energy passing between them. Hinata had meant to say _something_ , something excited or grateful to let Kageyama know how he feels, but he finds that he doesn’t have to. He’s certain by the look in Kageyama’s eyes, he feels the same way.

They turn back to the crowd together. Tanaka and Noya have already pushed through the crowd, with Daichi, Suga, and Asahi right behind them. Tanaka reaches them first, grabbing Hinata and messing up his hair.

“We knew you could do it,” Noya says. He gives Kageyama a light punch in the arm. “Welcome to Karasuno!”

“You’ve made amazing progress,” Daichi adds. Hinata beams under the praise.

“Honestly, I hardly recognized you from just a week ago.” Suga crosses his arms, but there’s humor in his tone.

Hinata looks over at Kageyama, whose face isn’t as openly excited as his own, but he seems to be enjoying the moment as well. For a moment Hinata had wondered if he would be alright surrounded by people, given his earlier concern about friends. He decides he has nothing to worry about.

\--

“So… You couldn’t stand him last week, and now you’re going to make him a Death Scythe?” Lev’s face shows the gears turning in his mind.

“Well, yeah, I guess?” Hinata says, his cheeks warming slightly. “It sounds weird when you put it that way.”

“And it’s not weird?” Yaku sits beside Lev with a book he’s just pulled from the shelf. They sit in Class Nekoma’s usual corner of the Trash Heap, Yaku actually getting some studying done for once. This is mostly due to the fact that Kuroo’s not on the clock and Yamamoto and Inuoka are off on a mission until Sunday.

“Okay, it’s kind of weird,” Hinata admits. “But a lot happened in a week.”

“Well I’m happy for you,” Lev says. “Now you get to be in EAT with Yaku and me, _plus_ having a partner is great!” He gives Yaku a wide smile.

Yaku rolls his eyes and brings his book up to his face. “Yeah, well it’s better than being stuck without one, that’s for sure.”

“Come _on_ , Yaku,” Lev says, pulling at Yaku’s book. “We’re partners in Class Nekoma now; you can admit you like me.”

Yaku snatches his book back. “I will admit no such thing,” he says, snappier than he intended. He hopes it still comes off as joking.

“ _Yaku_ ,” Lev says, drawing out the syllables until it grates on Yaku’s nerves. Lev gives him the look of a wounded kitten and he pretends not to notice.

“What is with everyone and distracting me from studying?” Lev doesn’t stop the look, so Yaku sighs and adds, “I’m your partner. Of course I like you.” At least it’s only them and Hinata today. Otherwise, he’d never live that down.

“So, Hinata, what’s it like synchronizing with Kageyama?” Lev turns his attention back to Hinata.

“I don’t know how to describe it,” Hinata says. “He’s intense. But when we synchronize it’s more … comforting than I thought it would be. Is that weird?”

“Well, you said he has a strong soul, right?” Yaku asks. Hinata nods at him. “That’s probably why. He’s got a lot of power, which can be intimidating, but now it’s on your side.”

“Huh.” Hinata leans back in his chair. Part of him thought that having a partner would answer all his questions about synchronization and souls, or that it would at least answer a few. He still feels just as confused by the whole thing, though.

It’s just a matter of time, he tells himself. He has plenty of time to figure it out, and now he’ll be in the EAT class and have Kageyama to help him out. So long as they can fight, the rest will work itself out.

“In any case,” Yaku says, pulling Hinata out of his thoughts, “we’re all going to start EAT classes next semester, so you two should be studying as well. We have a little less than a month left.”

“We’ll be ready,” Lev assures Yaku. “You said yourself I’m making lots of progress wielding you, and we’ll have a team supporting us. The transition can’t be that hard.”

“Honestly I think I’ll be way better at EAT,” Hinata says. “The test grades are only _part_ of your class grade there, and I’ve never been a good tester. Or studier.”

“See, Yaku, there’s no need to always be burying your face in a book,” Lev says. He attempts to grab Yaku’s book again, but Yaku leans away from him and tightens his grip. He underestimates Lev’s reach, however, and the two end up tugging the book between them.

“Hey! I’ve still got a final to study for!” Yaku yells, fully knowing that he has plenty of time to study later. He just wants to keep the book.

So maybe he’s more comfortable with something he can use as a barrier between him and Lev when he needs to, so what? He hasn’t totally worked through the things he and Kuroo spoke about yet. It’s just a little added comfort in an uncomfortable situation. He’ll get used to it… eventually.

For right now though, he pulls again at his book, trying to wrench it from his surprisingly strong grasp. They both let out a few more yells, mostly “Give it back!” followed by “Just take a break!”

“Hey! Keep it down!” the employee manning the register, Futakuchi, yells at them. Hinata snickers at them and Yaku, apparently the only _mature_ student around, apologizes. Lev lets him take his book back and he shoves it into his bag, still flustered.

“I’m just going to go study in my dorm,” he mutters, standing.

“I’ll come with!” Lev offers, jumping up out of his seat.

“That defeats the whole purpose,” Yaku says, but he doesn’t try to stop Lev from walking out with him. “We’ll see you later, Hinata. Congrats on the exam!” he calls over his shoulder. Hinata gives them a wave, and the bell above the door rings as they exit the store.

He doesn’t stay at the Trash Heap long after Yaku and Lev are gone. Another sore walk up the long stairs of DWMA (which he’s finding less and less cool by the day, not that he’d ever complain about them aloud) and he finds himself back in his dorm.

Kageyama is already there. He looks up as Hinata enters the room. “Daichi and Suga have a training exercise they want us to try,” he says by way of greeting. Hinata is starting to get used to his curt tone and realize it’s just how he talks, not him being rude. “Are you free after class Monday?”

“Of course,” Hinata says. Like he’d ever turn down meister training from EAT students.

\--

They meet in the same spot Hinata and Kageyama first tried synchronizing. It’s also the same spot they first succeeded synchronizing at, so Hinata has a few mixed feelings about it. Today, Daichi and Suga each carry a simple wooden bo staff as they greet the two freshmen.

“I hope you two are ready for a workout,” Daichi says. “Today, you’ll be sparring.”

“Each other?” Hinata asks. “Aren’t we supposed to be learning to fight together?”

“Yes, but that means knowing how your partner fights and what they’re going to do,” Suga explains. “What better way than fighting them yourself? Besides, Hinata, it’ll be good for you to learn to use a bo staff that isn’t a demon weapon. You have to rely on your own technique, not Kageyama’s abilities.”

“This exercise isn’t about defeating your partner, but being able to predict them,” Daichi says. “Spar ends when someone gets a clean hit, then you reset. Suga and I will demonstrate, and then you two can try it out yourselves.”

Hinata and Kageyama stand back as Daichi and Suga square off. They each wait a beat, and suddenly their staffs have already clashed between them. Suga goes for another strike, but Daichi’s staff is exactly where it needs to be to block.

Daichi swipes low with his staff, attempting to throw Suga off balance. Suga steps back, and then lunges forward quickly, going for a thrust. Daichi hits it aside and disrupts Suga’s aim.

Their focus is solely on each other, as if they’ve forgotten Hinata and Kageyama are even there at all. Hinata can’t quite place the look on their faces. There’s definitely intense concentration there, but they also have this light in their eyes, almost playful.

They go minutes without either landing a clean hit. Every time Hinata thinks he’s figured out their rhythm, one changes it up, and the other is ready for a new rhythm immediately. Hinata almost thinks it must be choreographed. With the twirling of staffs and their perfect harmony, it certainly seems like a dance.

The spar ends with the Daichi’s staff against Suga’s shoulder, resting just above his collarbone. They’re both breathing heavier than usual, but it’s a testament to their training that they are only mildly winded.

Daichi lifts his staff away from Suga and hands it to Hinata. “You two ready to try?”

Hinata grips the staff with a smile. “Definitely.”

He faces Kageyama. When Daichi gives the word, he swings immediately, and Kageyama knocks the end of his staff to the ground. Before he can lift it again, Kageyama hits him on his upper arm. It’s not super forceful, but he swings harder than he really needs to.

Hinata lets out a huff and returns to his starting stance. This time, he’ll get Kageyama for sure. He lets Kageyama attack first and responds with a clean block. Satisfied with himself he swings again at Kageyama, this time with a little less force. Kageyama knocks his staff away again, but he’s able to recover fast enough to block. It’s the second strike that nails him in the knee. He grits his teeth.

As it turns out, it is much harder to fight with a bo staff that isn’t a demon weapon. The weight is different, and he doesn’t have that instinct that took over during the entrance exam. Plus, he’s fighting _Kageyama_ , who, despite their partnership—which Hinata values, he really does—is still infuriating.

Every hit he takes makes him want to knock Kageyama down a little more. And that makes him attack before thinking, which leads to another hit he takes. After several minutes and a number of bruises he’s sure will form tomorrow, they’ve both forgotten the original purpose of the exercise. They’re swinging to beat each other. And Kageyama is _winning_ , the bastard.

“Alright, I think that’s enough for today,” Suga cuts them off. “Rest up. We’ll do some bo staff technique training on Wednesday, then spar again next Monday, alright?”

Hinata and Kageyama both agree to the training dates, but they’re still reluctant to stop. Weekly training just isn’t enough to satisfy them, but Daichi and Suga had already done so much for them that they couldn’t ask for more.

“I’ll get you next time,” Hinata says as they leave.

“Dream on,” replies Kageyama.

They walk back to the dorms together. At least, it starts as a walk. By the time they sprint into their room, they’re completely out of breath. This doesn’t stop them from shouting about who won.


	9. End of the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which some of the NOT students prepare for their transition to EAT, and Tsukishima has to deal with... _emotions._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, it was an earlier decision of mine not to include honorifics, because Soul Eater canon in is America, but that puts me in a weird position because referring to teachers is... weird. So, it's officially Not Weird in this world for the students to refer to the teachers with just their last names, to their faces... Trust me, it's fine.
> 
> This chapter is a little slow in terms of action, but that's because I'm trying to really set everything up for what I call the Oh Shit Arc of the story, when things will really kick off. Next chapter should move a little quicker, then we'll really be getting into the main story.
> 
> Enjoy!

It’s the last sparring match before the new semester starts, and Hinata _will_ win this time. When Kageyama adds a new bruise to his shin, he lets out a frustrated groan. “Why are you so _good_ at this? It’s not like you’ve used bo staffs before; you just _are_ one!”

Kageyama gives him a smug grin. “It’s not that hard being better than you.” He strikes again quickly, knocking against Hinata’s shoulder hard enough to make him stumble back. Technically a new round had already started, but it’s still a cheap shot.

Hinata retaliates with a low swipe, trying to knock Kageyama off-balance. A new round hadn’t technically started, but a cheap shot for a cheap shot is fair game in Hinata’s book.

“Nice,” Kageyama says, but he steps back easily. “You’re actually thinking.” It’s clearly a taunt, and Hinata falls for it hook, line, and sinker.

He swings hard, his staff connecting with Kageyama’s heavily, the force running up his arms. Kageyama pushes him back and strikes. Hinata reacts fast enough to block it, but he’s suddenly on the defensive. He endures blow after blow, slowly backing up and watching for his opportunity to attack.

He’s getting impatient, but before he makes a bold attack that would surely result in his loss, he reminds himself this is exactly what Kageyama wants. And Kageyama isn’t getting any more hits on him, Hinata swears it.

He tries something he’s never tried before. He feints. As Kageyama moves to block, face confident, Hinata twirls the staff to attack from a completely different direction. He hits Kageyama in the side, right under his ribs. The look on Kageyama’s face is everything Hinata hoped it would be.

Everything is still for a moment. The next moment, Kageyama goes in for a quick jab and Hinata sidesteps. Neither of them thinks about resetting for a new round this time. They move like parts of a machine, the ebb and flow of the tide. The sound of parries and blocks fill the space between them.

“Should we stop them?” Suga asks Daichi, watching the two continue to spar without regard for the rules of the match.

Daichi considers the young duo. “Well, it’s not how it’s supposed to work, but they _are_ fighting in sync now.”

Suga laughs. “Why am I not surprised they found their rhythm by not paying attention to the rules?”

“I’m not sure if this bodes well or awfully for Class Karasuno,” Daichi admits. “Specifically our team.”

“I know what you mean. It’s great they’re working together, but how will it hold up with others thrown in the mix?” Suga sucks a breath in through his teeth and glances at Daichi nervously. “When do you think we should tell them about Tsukishima and Yamaguchi?”

They’re interrupted by Hinata letting out a small shout, followed by a “You did that on _purpose!_ ” He swings at Kageyama with renewed vigor, though perhaps less strategy.

“Maybe we’ll tell them when they aren’t armed,” Daichi says.

“Good plan.”

\--

“Fancy seeing you here.”

Just like that, Tsukishima is already regretting walking into the Trash Heap, not two seconds after the bell above the announces his presence. “I wasn’t aware you were working today, Kuroo,” he says dryly. “I wouldn’t want to trouble you. I can come back when the real employees are here.”

“Ah, Tsukki,” Kuroo says unfazed. “Always the charmer. Where’s Yamaguchi?”

“Studying for our transfer to EAT, not that’s it’s any of your business. Though I suppose I can’t blame you for trying to experience that vicariously through us, seeing how you won’t be doing it yourself any time soon.” Tsukishima grabs a book off the shelf that only looks semi-interesting and pointedly sits in a completely different spot than he had the last time he’d been here.

Kuroo only looks amused. Ever since Tsukishima’s first visit, where Kuroo had revealed he memorized all his regulars’ favorite reading spots, he’d been coming to the Trash Heap fairly frequently and always chooses a new spot to read.

“So, how’s my favorite customer doing today?” Kuroo asks.

Tsukishima only turns the page in his book and tries to tune him out. The Trash Heap has the rarest and greatest collection of books in Death City, despite being tiny and shoved into a forgotten corner of the city. Tsukishima isn’t about to let Kuroo ruin it for him. He hears Kuroo sigh, and then there’s the thump of a heavy book being dropped onto the counter.

Tsukishima’s curiosity gets the better of him and he glances up at the frankly absurd tome Kuroo has begun to read. It looks ancient, and Tsukishima can’t even identify the language it’s in.

“Are you _supposed_ to be reading while you work?”

Kuroo flashes him another annoying grin. “Perks of the job. Boss lets us read anything we want, even the super rare stuff that’s not for sale.” He lifts up his large book to show a bright yellow sticker on the cover that reads _For Use In-Store Only_. “Normally it’s locked up in the back, and you’d have to get special permission to access it.”

Tsukishima squints his eyes at the book, wondering what made it so valuable that the owner of a bookstore wouldn’t sell it. “Why would someone run a bookstore and not sell books?”

“I mean, he’s a bit eccentric, I guess. Runs in the Ukai family or something,” Kuroo says with a shrug, turning back to the page he was reading.

“ _Ukai_?” Tsukishima forgets to keep the shock out of his voice.

Kuroo glances up at him, surprised. It’s the most emotion he’s ever heard in Tsukishima’s voice. “Oh, yeah, you’re going into his grandson’s class, right? Karasuno.”

“Yes,” Tsukishima says, regaining his composure. “His grandfather owns this place?”

Kuroo nods. “He gives students jobs and lets them access his personal collection of books he’s gathered from his time as a Death Scythe. It’s a pretty awesome job.”

Tsukishima looked down at Kuroo’s book again. A Death Scythe’s book could be interesting. “What’s it about?”

Kuroo covers the page with his hands, even though Tsukishima couldn’t read it if he tried. “Trade secret.” He laughs at Tsukishima’s unimpressed expression. “It’s just some old research notes. First edition, very hard to find.”

“Research? I didn’t think you’d be interested in anything like that.” Tsukishima is only slightly disappointed that Kuroo doesn’t notice the subtle jab.

“It’s fascinating.” Kuroo’s grin is genuine, for once. “It’s full of old theories about souls from way back before DWMA even existed.”

“Aren’t those all disproven by now? What’s the point in reading about them?”

“Well, you get to learn how they discovered what we know now,” Kuroo says.

Tsukishima rolls his eyes. “It’s not even in the DWMA curriculum. You’re never going to use it. And you’re doing it… for fun?”

Kuroo’s expression falters, just for a second. “Yeah. It’s totally fun. You should try it. I can put in a good word with the boss.”

“You’re sure into theoretical Plasmology for someone who’s not really a student.”

Kuroo shrugs. “What can I say? I’ve been a fan since I was a kid.”

Tsukishima sighs and shoves the book he’d been reading (or at least, that he had skimmed a few lines of) back onto a shelf. It isn’t that interesting, anyways. “I’ll leave you to it, then. I’m sure Yamaguchi needs someone to drag him away from his textbooks before he psyches himself out.”

“What a good partner you are. It’s so sweet.”

Tsukishima hums noncommittally, sure that Kuroo is trying to bait him into a conversation. He’s annoyingly good at that.

“I’m serious,” Kuroo says. His voice is genuine enough that Tsukishima turns to study his face. “Partners looking out for each other is what this whole place is about, when you get right down to it. Seeing that is one of the reasons I love it here in Death City. And you and Yamaguchi are… interesting.”

Tsukishima narrows his eyes. “Why are you telling me this? We’re not friends.”

“Aren’t we?”

“No.”

“Not even a little,” Kuroo leans forward on the counter. “ _Tsukki?_ ”

When Tsukishima doesn’t respond, just stands there with that blank, slightly judgmental stare, Kuroo huffs. “Fine, fine. I can tell you two are good friends, probably have been for a while, yeah?”

“Yes,” Tsukishima says slowly, still not sure where Kuroo is going.

“You know each other really well, then?”

“Yes,” Tsukishima says impatiently. “Your point?”

“Well, I’ve seen lots of partners in my time at Death City,” Kuroo says. “DWMA tends to bring out new sides of people, even people you know really well.” He pauses, looking at Tsukishima with a serious expression. “Maybe your meek partner is more than you think?”

“Are you attempting to tell me not to take Yamaguchi for granted?” Tsukishima’s voice gains an edge, lingering just underneath his usual disinterested tone. The idea that Kuroo knows more about their relationship than he does sets something in Tsukishima on edge. He’s known Yamaguchi since they were children, after all. He knows exactly how they work together.

“I’m just pointing out an observation,” Kuroo says.

Tsukishima scoffs. “Why don’t you worry less about others’ partners and worry more about finding your own partner.” It’s not his cleverest jab, and he doesn’t even wait to see Kuroo’s reaction before leaving the shop, but a small, childish part of him hopes it stung anyways.

Tsukishima has plenty of time to think on the walk back to the dorm. He’s not angry, not really. Kuroo’s not the first person to make assumptions about him and Yamaguchi, and he likely won’t be the last. Tsukishima knows what everyone thinks about them, and they’re wrong. He doesn’t boss Yamaguchi around; Yamaguchi just likes having someone to follow. He was always a timid kid, and he never left his small comfort zone. So Tsukishima became his comfort zone, and brought it along wherever they needed to be.

Knowing Yamaguchi’s weaknesses isn’t taking him for granted. Kuroo doesn’t know what he’s talking about. It just lets Tsukishima compensate for them. He knows Yamaguchi like the back of his hand, and that’s good for partners. For instance, Tsukishima knows Yamaguchi will be sitting on his bed in their dorm, reading a section from their textbook he’s been over several times already. He’ll look intense and focused until he sees Tsukishima, at which point he’ll be sheepish and nervous, but putting on a smile.

Yamaguchi isn’t in their dorm when Tsukishima gets back.

Whatever. That’s fine. Not like it means anything. Tsukishima will just see him when he gets back. Tsukishima drops his bag to the floor and makes himself comfortable. If Yamaguchi isn’t studying, then Tsukishima doesn’t know where he is, or when he’ll be back.

Tsukishima eyes the door. He sits there for a full minute, staring at it, and then lets out a long-suffering sigh. If only to quiet Kuroo’s incessant voice in his head, he grabs his bag once more and heads out of the dorm.

He walks around campus, his path aimless, but his eyes searching carefully. No one stops him to talk, either knowing him and his sharp tongue already, or simply seeing the look on his face and knowing to leave him alone. Tsukishima wishes Kuroo could pick up on things like that. (He probably can—he just enjoys being annoying, apparently.) Then, he wishes Kuroo would stop popping up in his thoughts.

It takes him a while to find Yamaguchi, because he’s in the last place Tsukishima thought he’d be—at least, the last place he’d be without Tsukishima: the training field.

Yamaguchi is talking to a teacher, and Tsukishima recognizes him: Shimada. Yamaguchi nods earnestly as Shimada says something, then turns to check in on a pair of students doing a synchronization exercise.

Tsukishima pauses at the edge of the field, watching them for a moment. It almost feels like he’s intruding on something. He brushes the thought away as ridiculous and walks onto the field.

Yamaguchi spots him and he raises a hand in greeting, calculatingly casual.

“Tsukki?” Yamaguchi says when he gets close. “What are you doing here?”

“I took a walk to clear my head.” It’s not totally a lie. “I didn’t think you’d be at the training fields.”

Tsukishima can’t quite place the emotion that flashes across Yamaguchi’s face. “Oh, um, I guess I’m studying?” It comes out as a question, and at least _that_ is familiar.

Shimada returns from helping the practicing students. “So, as I was saying—“ He pauses, noticing Tsukishima. “Ah, you must be Tsukishima, Yamaguchi’s partner.”

“Yes,” Tsukishima says, because he’s not sure what else to do. He glances at Yamaguchi, asking a silent question.

“Shimada’s been giving me some advice about the EAT class,” Yamaguchi says.

“Well, I won’t keep you any longer, Yamaguchi,” Shimada says. “I’m sure your transition to EAT will go smoothly, but feel free to come talk to me if you need any more help. And remember not to stress about it too much, just take it one step at a time.”

“Thanks, I’ll try,” Yamaguchi says. His smile is warm, but there’s that nervous energy about it that tells Tsukishima he’s still worried about the EAT class. He turns to Tsukishima and says, “You want to head back to the dorm?”

“Sure,” Tsukishima says with a shrug. As they walk, he can feel Yamaguchi’s eyes on him. He bites the inside of his cheek and studies Tsukishima’s face. There’s obviously something on his mind, so Tsukishima finally points out, “You’re staring at me.”

Yamaguchi stumbles a bit, tripping over his own feet as he stammers, “What, no, I—I just...” He takes a breath, having caught himself and walking normally next to Tsukishima again. “Are you alright, Tsukki? You said you needed to clear your head, so… Something was bothering you?”

Tsukishima’s jaw clenches and he stays silent. He can hear Yamaguchi swallow. “Is it about… the EAT class? About… you know… Akiteru?” Yamaguchi’s voice goes soft on the last word, but Tsukishima still feels it in his bones like nails against a chalkboard. His eye twitches.

“No,” he says with finality. He looks over and sees Yamaguchi’s wounded expression. “It’s nothing, really. I just let something get under my skin that I shouldn’t have.”

Yamaguchi’s timid smile returns. Tsukishima thinks he really shouldn’t be so affected by it after all these years, but maybe it’s part of the deal when it comes to partners. Their souls have touched, so he supposes he’ll always have that soft spot.

“You? Letting someone get under your skin? I’d like to meet someone who could do that,” Yamaguchi says.

“Trust me, you wouldn’t,” Tsukishima says, deadpan, even though Yamaguchi _has_ met Kuroo before. But he doesn’t need to know that. Yamaguchi attempts to hide a snicker behind his hand.

They walk in a newly comfortable silence for a minute before Yamaguchi nudges Tsukishima with his elbow. “We’re going to be fine in the EAT class, you know.”

Tsukishima scoffs, but they both know there’s no venom behind it. “Of course. I’m the one who’s supposed to be reassuring _you_ of that.”

“Sorry, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi says, but he sounds almost amused. At _Tsukishima’s_ expense. Tsukishima knows he must be delusional when Kuroo’s words echo through his head again.

_DWMA tends to bring out new sides of people, even people you know really well._

It doesn’t matter what Kuroo says, Tsukishima tells himself. He and Yamaguchi will be fine, like they always are. Even as EAT students.


	10. Mission Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Class Karasuno go on their first mission as a new team, and all is not as it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I'm going to make shorter chapters and update more frequently," I said two chapters ago, and proceeded to wait months writing this, the longest ever chapter of this fic. Whoops. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy the extra content, this chapter is kicking off some big plot elements.  
>    
>  [my tumblr](http://basementtreasure.tumblr.com/)

Ukai is fully prepared for disaster the first day of the new semester. He knows his students, and Kageyama’s already made quite the first impression, so he knows it’s only a matter of time before something blows up in his face. This time, it hopefully won’t be a literal explosion.

That being said, he still isn’t prepared to walk into his class that morning and find his students already in a quickly escalating fight.

“ _What?!_ ” comes an indignant screech, just as Ukai walks through the door. “Try saying that to my face!”

“I would, but I don’t feel like stooping that low,” says a haughty voice.

Ukai sees the four new Class Karasuno students in the center of the room, Hinata and Tsukishima with eyes locked, one fiercely glaring and the other smiling smugly. Kageyama is also sporting a deadly look in his eyes, though he doesn’t seem to be central to the conversation at the moment. Yamaguchi is at Tsukishima’s side, not quite encouraging him, but not intervening all the same.

Sugawara and Sawamura are standing to the side, looking worn-out. They have clearly been trying to stop the fighting with no success.

“Ahem.” The four first-years freeze in place at Ukai’s voice. Even Tsukishima shows a slight tension in his shoulders, his smile dropping.

“And what, may I ask,” Ukai begins, voice gruff, “is going on here?”

Hinata wastes no time in pointing a finger at Tsukishima. “He _started_ it!”

Ukai knows how to deal with rowdy students misbehaving. Over a year of Tanaka and Nishinoya in his class ensures this. He merely raises an eyebrow, waiting for Hinata to elaborate.

Hinata, for his part, seems surprised by this, as if he had expected to be shouted over. He glances nervously around and clears his throat. “When we came in, Tsukishima started saying all this stuff about how we didn’t belong in the EAT class.” His voice is much softer than it had been only seconds ago.

“And your solution to this was shouting?” Ukai keeps his voice level, with just a bit of judgement in his tone. The loud students always expect yelling or a fight, and they escalate the situation. Instead, Ukai’s found that a quiet chance to explain themselves usually makes them think before they speak.

“Well…” Hinata sounds unsure. His hands fidget at his side. Seeing as it’s his first day, Ukai lets him off the hook for the time being and turns his attention to Tsukishima.

“And you?” he asks.

“They’re both clearly unstable. A threat to themselves and everyone working with them. And apparently, _we_ are going to be working with them.” Tsukishima doesn’t attempt to be more civil in Ukai’s presence. He doesn’t seem to care one way or the other what Ukai thinks of him.

Sugawara sighs and comes to Ukai’s side. “We just told them that both pairs are going to be on our team. I’m so sorry for the trouble.”

Ukai nods in understanding. “Well, you’ll all have to work on getting along. You’re EAT students now. You’ll be fighting real monsters, and you need to trust those at your side.”

Hinata’s eyes light up at the mention of monsters. Tsukishima stills looks at Hinata and Kageyama with distrust, but he doesn’t argue any further, so Ukai lets it drop for now. They’ll have to work out their differences some other time, preferably when he’s not supposed to be teaching the rest of the class as well.

“Alright everyone, take your seats. Let’s get started.”

\--

By the time his first EAT class ends, Hinata’s head is spinning with more facts about souls than he ever thought existed.

“I barely got half of that written down,” he says to Kageyama, flipping through his notebook as they walk down the hallway together. “Let me borrow your notes and fill in everything I missed.”

“No,” Kageyama says, and he clutches his notebook a little tighter.

“What? Why not?”

Kageyama doesn’t answer and keeps his gaze straight ahead. Hinata pouts and gives him a long look, then suddenly grabs for Kageyama’s notebook. Kageyama manages to rip it away from Hinata’s grasp, holding it over his head. Hinata jumps for it, his fingers brushing the notebook each time, but not able to get a grip on it as Kageyama steps away from him and holds him back with his free hand.

“C’mon!” Hinata whines, jumping once more and getting nothing but air. “We’re partners now! We’re in this together!”

“Hey! Knock it off!” Kageyama continues to evade Hinata.

“What—is—your—problem?!” With each word, Hinata bounces up onto his toes, grabbing at the notebook. He falls back onto his heels the last time with a huff and crosses his arms. Kageyama lets his arm drop just a bit, and suddenly Hinata is already in the air, snatching it out of his hand and landing behind him.

“Ha!” Hinata shouts in triumph, holding the notebook above his head.

“Wait—” Kageyama starts to say, but Hinata opens the notebook to the first page.

“It’s… blank.”

Hinata looks back at Kageyama, and it almost looks like his face is… red? Realization hits Hinata like a sucker punch. “Ah!” he shouts suddenly, pointing at Kageyama. “You’re having as much trouble as me!”

“Shut up!” Kageyama says.

Hinata’s face splits into a grin. “Admit it! You’re just as lost as I am!”

Kageyama clenches his teeth, but his eyes dart away from Hinata, and Hinata takes it as a victory. He only basks in his success for a moment before another, less humorous realization hits him. “We’re really going to need help to stay in the EAT class.”

Hinata and Kageyama look at each other, nervous energy hanging in the air. Then, a silent understanding passes between them. Determination is reflected across both their faces. They’ve come this far, and damn if they’re not going to do everything in their power to keep moving forward.

\--

The next weeks are a blur. Between class, combat practice with their team, and extra study sessions, Hinata and Kageyama barely have enough time to think about anything besides growing stronger. That’s just as well, though, because they don’t care to think about much else anyways.

It’s almost a surprise when Daichi and Suga decide it’s time for their team to take on a real mission. _A soul-collecting mission._ They chose something with enemies that weren’t very powerful, but with a bunch who had herded together.

It’s a small town in the middle of nowhere, its name forgotten after years of abandonment. Run-down buildings rise out of the dusty ground like the skeleton of a once vital village. Their group looks out over the dark, still town from a rooftop.

Hinata bounces on his toes, scanning the streets for life unsuccessfully. “I don’t get it,” he says. “Aren’t there supposed to be a bunch of evil souls here?”

Kageyama is in his bo staff form in Hinata’s hands. At the thought of a real fight, a thrum of nervous, yet exhilarated energy runs through Hinata’s fingers, and he isn’t sure if it’s from Kageyama or himself.

“The assignment said there were ten souls that have been infesting the town for a long time,” Daichi says. “They ran out the townspeople years ago and have been preying on anyone who wanders in. My guess is that they’re hiding somewhere to set up an ambush.”

“We should stay together,” Suga’s voice comes from his sword form. “We’ll have to watch each other’s back, especially since half our team is new.”

Daichi nods. “Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, I want you to stay up on the rooftops. Keep an eye on the rest of us and pick off any souls you can from a distance.” Tsukishima nods and Daichi turns towards Noya, Asahi and Tanaka in his hands as a shield and spear. “Noya, I want you to stay on the defensive. Keep our first years safe.”

Noya grins and throws an arm around Hinata’s shoulders. “You guys will have nothing to worry about with us guarding you!”

“Right!” Tanaka’s voice echoes excitedly from the spear. “This is your first field battle, so don’t sweat it if you’re not that good. We’re here to cover you.”

“Just do your best,” Asahi agrees.

Hinata gives them a grateful smile tinged with nervousness. From his hands, Kageyama says, “We’ll be fine. We’ll just do what we always do in training.”

“Right,” Hinata says. _Just like training. Just don’t think too hard about your wavelength and let Kageyama handle it._

Tsukishima, who had been relatively quiet and expressionless, speaks up, “How are we going to divide up the souls we collect?”

“Well, each team has their own way of dividing souls on team missions,” Daichi says, “but we usually go by the final hit. Whoever deals the finishing blow gets that soul.”

“So, in a way, we’re in competition with each other?” Tsukishima asks, a grin pulling at his lips. He jerks a thumb at Hinata and Kageyama. “Are you sure these two airheads can handle it? They might walk away without any souls at all.”

Daichi’s hand is on Hinata’s shoulder before he even gets the chance to jump at Tsukishima. “Now, now,” Daichi says. “We’re a team, remember? We’ve got to work together.”

Hinata grits his teeth. “Fine.” Anything to just _get to the fighting, already_.

Tsukishima shrugs as if it doesn’t bother him one way or the other, but there’s still enough smugness in his expression to grate at Hinata’s nerves. With that, Daichi, Noya, and Hinata descend to the street level.

Their footsteps echo on the stone as they take slow, cautious steps through the village. Daichi takes the lead, with Hinata following close behind and Noya bringing up the rear. Through the silence, Hinata can hear Tsukishima jumping across the rooftops.

“This is unusual,” Suga says. “I don’t see why they haven’t heard us and attacked by now.”

Noya adjusts his shield, his eyes darting around. It’s the most serious Hinata’s ever seen him. It’s calming to know that he has Hinata’s back, but the eerie silence is starting to get to him.

_Just don’t freak out,_ Hinata tells himself. _It’s just like training._

“Your wavelength is all over the place,” Kageyama says bluntly.

Daichi turns back to face him. “Hinata, are you going to be okay?”

Hinata lets out something like a squeak and straightens his shoulders jerkily. “Yes! I’m fine!”

“Are you sure?” Suga asks.

“Yes,” Hinata insists. He can’t mess up his _first mission_. This is his chance to actually make progress to make a Death Scythe. One hundred evil souls, and one witch soul are all he needs, and if he doesn’t do well, doesn’t make a final hit, he won’t get any. “I can do this.”

Daichi opens his mouth to say something, but he’s interrupted by Tsukishima calling down from a rooftop, “Ambush!”

A streak of blue light flies not an inch from Hinata’s face, an arrow from Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, and then all he can hear is a deafening, inhuman roar. It’s like the ground under his feet explodes. Dust and debris fill the air and Hinata is thrown backwards. He lands hard on the stone street, but manages to keep a hold on Kageyama.

He pushes himself up into a kneeling position as shouts from his teammates echo around him. He’s about to stand and join them when the dust clears enough to see the _thing_ in front of him, and he freezes.

_“As EAT students, you will be hunting and collecting evil souls,” Ukai had said. “These are people who have turned from the path of humanity, choosing to consume the souls of the good or innocent for power. It corrupts them, changes them into something… darker.”_

Hinata knew the evil souls wouldn’t be human anymore, but… He hadn’t expected a _monster_. The creature before him is vaguely human-shaped, but it’s hunched over in an unnatural way. Too-long legs bend awkwardly underneath, almost frog-like. Its weight is supported by two thick arms planted into the ruined street, and two more arms sprout out of its broad shoulders, thinner and longer than the others. Each finger on these arms is tipped with a jagged black claw, curving into a point as sharp as a blade. One set of claws is coming down on him.

“Hinata!” Kageyama’s voice stirs him into action. Hinata drops into a roll and dodges out of the way. The monster’s claws cut through the street like wet clay, leaving long gashes where Hinata just was.

His heart hammers in his chest as he tries to remember his combat training. He has to get souls. He _has_ to.

The monster turns on him faster than Hinata would think possible, and for a split second, he stiffens instead of moving. He hears Kageyama’s voice start to form his name again, but a metallic _clang_ rings out, interrupting him.

Those sharp, deadly claws that pierced straight through solid stone are suddenly held at a standstill. Standing between Hinata and the monster is Noya, shield raised.

“I told you we’d have your back.” Noya’s face is almost smug as he pushes the monster back with Asahi’s shield form. He doesn’t even seem to struggle.

As Noya fends off the monster, Daichi rushes up to Hinata, his eyes searching him for any injuries. At seeing Hinata’s awestruck expression, he smiles. “That’s Noya and Asahi for you. They’re our Ultimate Defense. Nothing gets past their shield.”

Before Hinata can respond, another monster growls and lurches towards them, and Daichi dives back into the fight. There are five monsters on the street including the one Noya is fighting, but Daichi swings his sword and catches one on its shoulder. There’s a burst of black liquid, splattering across the ground, and then there are four.

The monster’s body disintegrates, leaving only a slightly luminescent orb—its soul—and the liquid. Daichi pauses, staring at the black stains. Suga’s voice comes from his sword. “Is that… blood?”

As Daichi stands there, guard down, a monster dives at him, its jaw unhinging as it bears down on him. Daichi springs into action, but as he raises his sword into a defensive position, a bolt of blue light pierces the monster through its head. Another spray of black paints the street and the wall of a nearby building.

Daichi’s expression is still uneasy, but he calls out to Tsukishima, “Nice one!”

Hinata’s limbs still feel heavy. He barely helps as Daichi and Suga charge the remaining monsters. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi send down arrows from the rooftops, always seeming to come out of nowhere at just the right moment. Noya and Asahi intercept the monsters’ attacks. Tanaka mostly just yells, but Noya does use his spear form to keep the monsters at a distance.

Within a few minutes, the monsters are no more, and the tar-like blood sticks to the rubble of the ruined street in thick puddles. Something about the blood makes Hinata’s stomach feel wrong—and it’s not just queasiness, because he _knows_ what that’s like, and this is different. The fact that Daichi keeps looking at it with an intense, almost disturbing expression is not reassuring.

The rest of the team—including Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, who drop down from the rooftops—gathers around Daichi as he kneels and inspects the blood. He reaches down and smears a drop with his thumb. Hinata holds his breath as the team waits for Daichi’s verdict.

“No one consume those souls just yet,” he says after a tense silence. “Something’s not right here.”

“They’re not supposed to leave blood behind, right?” Kageyama asks.

Noya nods. “Usually their bodies totally disappear when they’re defeated. I’ve never seen them bleed before, let alone bleed _black_.”

“According to the assignment, there should still be five more somewhere in town,” Suga says. “I say we defeat them and then bring the souls back to Death to make sure they’re safe.”

“Alright, let’s keep going. Keep an eye out for any more ambushes,” Daichi says. He gathers the five souls of the defeated monsters and puts them into his bag, which is stuffed with innocuous things like snacks and a first-aid kit. It’s a little weird to think of him walking around with granola bars and the souls of the damned in his backpack.

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi return to the rooftops to keep watch as the team moves forward. The threat of another ambush hangs heavily in the air and everyone’s weapons are at the ready. Being surrounded by more experienced students should make Hinata feel more at ease, but their caution just makes him feel small and ineffective.

Kageyama makes a quiet humming sound and Hinata has the distinct impression that he’s holding himself back from saying something. Something about how jumpy Hinata is, no doubt. Hinata tightens his grip in a gesture he hopes will get across that’s he’s _fine_ ; he can totally do this. It still irritates him the Kageyama can get a read on him so easily while Hinata is left in the dark. Stupid Soul Perception.

They end up finding the other monsters before the monsters find them. Tsukishima is the one to spot them, and signals for the others to be quiet. They move quickly and silently into positions for an ambush of their own.

The five remaining monsters are huddled together in what used to be a town square. They grunt and bump into each other restlessly, but stay right in the center of the plaza, pacing like they’re in a cage. Hinata’s no expert, but it doesn’t really seem normal. And if the rest of this mission is anything to go by, it probably isn’t.

Daichi reaches an open palm into the sky. It’s almost time. Hinata _won’t_ blow this one. He refuses to. After a moment that lasts an eternity, Daichi closes his hand into a fist.

A lot happens very quickly.

Daichi, Noya, and Hinata all rush forward, weapons drawn. Tsukishima releases an arrow. Then, as he brings his bo staff down, Hinata feels a jolt go up his arm. He’s landed a solid hit, but his momentum stops dead as soon as Kageyama’s weapon form hits the monster’s skin. The thing turns on him, seemingly unaffected, with red, inhuman eyes that turn Hinata’s blood cold.

Out of the corner of his eye, he notices that the others’ attacks have glanced off as well. Something catches Hinata in the stomach and he just barely has enough time to think how unfair it is that this thing has a tail before he’s slammed down into the ground.

“Hinata!” he hears Kageyama call out. Something warm and wet spreads across the back of his head, making his hair feel sticky.

The tail lifts off of Hinata and he takes a shaky breath that hurts his chest. He can blurrily make out the tail above him, poised to come down once more. In his hands, he feels Kageyama become a little less solid, like he’s about to transform.

Before he can Noya yells, “Tanaka!” He throws the spear overhand, right at Hinata, but in midair, Tanaka transforms back into his human form and knocks into Hinata, grabbing him and rolling away just as the tail slams down into the ground.

“You okay?” Tanaka asks, helping Hinata into a sitting position and keeping one eye on the monster.

“Fine,” Hinata says quietly. It hurts, but it doesn’t feel like anything’s seriously damaged. His vision is clearing, too.

“What do we do now?” Kageyama asks. With Tanaka holding Hinata’s back, Kageyama ends up across Hinata’s lap. “None of our attacks did anything.”

Tanaka gives them a wicked grin. “Just watch. Daichi told you how Noya and Asahi are our Ultimate Defense, right?” He looks over at Noya, who’s facing the monsters and looks awfully confident for someone carrying only a shield. “Well, that’s only part of the time.”

“Ready, Asahi?” Noya says with a grin to match Tanaka.

Together, Noya and Asahi shout. “Soul Resonance!”

Even Hinata can feel the pressure emanating from them. He learned about Soul Resonance in class, but the textbooks hardly captured the real thing. The dirt around Noya’s feet swirled and Asahi’s shield form began to glow with energy. The edges of it elongated and sharpened.

Noya reared his arm back, then flung it forward, and the disk of piercing light left his forearm. It cuts through the air, leaving three dissolving monsters and another spray of black in its wake. The shield curves in the air, returning to Noya’s arm, and the glow fades.

“When they resonate, Noya and Asahi turn from our Ultimate Defense, to the Ultimate Offense,” Tanaka explains to an awestruck Hinata. “Pretty awesome, right?” His expression turns serious once more. “C’mon, this isn’t over yet.”

Hinata gets to his feet with Tanaka’s help and faces the two remaining monsters. One of them is the tailed beast that hit Hinata. Their team outnumbers the monsters, so it should be a simple matter to defeat them.

At least, that’s what Hinata thinks before the ground falls out from underneath him. It starts with Noya, energy drained, not being able to dodge the claws of one of the monsters. Tanaka rushes to help his partners and Daichi swings at it again. He doesn’t seem to do any damage, but he gets its full attention, leaving everyone but Hinata and the tailed monster occupied.

The tailed monster lurches towards Hinata and brings its arms down together in a powerful strike. Hinata manages to step aside on shaky legs and barely dodge, but the ground cracks under the monster’s fists. The cracks spread and widen, and Hinata feels the ground beneath him jerk and then drop.

For a moment he is weightless. Then, he lands on his back, hard. There’s a clattering sound as he loses his grip on Kageyama, but when he opens his eyes, he can barely see. Above him, a few streams of light shine through the hole in the plaza, illuminating a few feet around him.

He’s in an underground tunnel. It looks like it used to be a sewer, but years of disuse have left it dry. He’s landed near the edge of a pile of rubble, luckily for him. He could’ve been crushed. The sounds of a fight filter down, but they’re muffled.

A bright light suddenly flares up a few feet away, and Kageyama appears in his human form. He walks over to Hinata and offers him a hand. Hinata grabs it and hoists himself up.

“You okay?” Kageyama asks.

“Yeah.” His head is still pounding, and he’s pretty sure he’ll be paying Yachi and Kiyoko a visit in the hospital wing when he gets back, but he doesn’t seem to have any new injuries.

“Good,” Kageyama says, and punches him in the stomach.

Hinata doubles over with an _oof_. Holding his stomach, he glares at Kageyama and exclaims, “What the hell was that for?”

“What is wrong with you?” Kageyama demands, getting in Hinata’s face.

“What? You’re the one punching me out of nowhere!”

“You’ve been acting weird this entire mission,” Kageyama says, voice almost accusing. “We’ve been training together for weeks; I know what you’re capable of and it’s better than this. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Hinata stares at Kageyama for a second. That almost sounded like a compliment. And was that… concern? “Look, I _know_ I’m messing up, okay?” he says. “I just… I know my wavelength gets all crazy because I can’t control it, so I’ve gotta stay calm, but I just keep getting more and more nervous—”

“Don’t underestimate me, dumbass!” Kageyama suddenly yells, and Hinata’s voice dies in his throat. “We agreed that I would match your wavelength no matter what, and I can keep up with whatever your soul does! So quit worrying about it and focus on the fight!”

“Kageyama…” Hinata isn’t sure what to say, or even what to feel. He thinks Kageyama might’ve just insulted and comforted him at the same time. Either way, some sort of weight feels like it’s lifted off his chest.

Kageyama fixes him with one last determined expression. “As long as I’m here, you’re invincible.”

Hinata smiles in spite of himself. _Invincible_. That sounds pretty nice. And when Kageyama says it, it feels possible. It feels true.

Then, the rubble pile starts to shift. Dust lifts into the air as a low growl shakes the smaller bits of rock. On instinct, Hinata reaches towards Kageyama without looking. Kageyama’s hand closes around his own and he gives Hinata’s hand a light squeeze.

“That thing must have fell with us,” Kageyama says, his voice all business, but his hand reassuring. Suddenly, Hinata feels a little ridiculous about his nerves. How could he forget that the whole point of having partners is that you’re never alone?

“Our attack didn’t affect it before,” Hinata says. The larger pieces of rubble are starting to shift. Soon, the monster will be free.

“Then we hit it with something harder. Soul Resonance.”

Hinata finally turns to Kageyama, eyes wide. “But we’ve never—” he starts to say, but Kageyama’s expression stops him. It’s the same determined look that he had before. It’s a look that says, _Any obstacles are irrelevant. We will make it happen._

“Let’s do it,” Hinata says. In his hand, Kageyama’s form shifts. He braces himself for the fight just as the largest pieces of rubble fall away, revealing an uninjured and enraged monster. Its scream pierces the air.

Hinata realizes he has no idea _how_ to do Soul Resonance.

“You suck at regulating your soul,” Kageyama says, as if reading his mind. “But just try to get really pumped up. Imagine putting all your energy into your strike, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

As the monster charges them, Hinata pictures the evil souls Daichi collected earlier. Orbs of energy and the essence of a person. He imagines one inside of his chest, humming with power that comes off in waves. In his mind’s eye, the waves start to wrap around Kageyama’s bo staff form.

The monster bears down on them and he swings. No misdirection, no dodging. Just one powerful, clear attack.

Before the attack lands, Kageyama finds himself in a strange room. It’s dim, with no clear sources of light, and yet everything is perfectly visible. Most of the room is nothing but an intricately tiled floor, of which Kageyama is standing in the center. The walls are lined with white columns and thick red curtains. On one end of the room is a raised dais with a large, ornate throne sitting in the center.

Kageyama takes a step toward the throne and the sound echoes throughout the room. There’s also a soft shuffling sound, and when Kageyama looks down, he realizes it’s from a thick red cape draped across his shoulders, which was dragging across the ground. When he looks down, he can feel a weight on his head shift, and he realizes there’s also a crown on his head.

He crosses the room and steps up onto the dais. He runs his fingers along one arm of the throne. There’s something about the room that feels very familiar, even though Kageyama knows he’s never been there before.

The strangest thing by far is the fact that he’s still in the old sewer. He’s a bo staff, being swung down at a monster, but he’s also human, standing next to a throne. Being in two places at once is disorientating in a weird way. If he doesn’t think about it, it feels perfectly natural. When he starts questioning it, he feels lightheaded and dizzy.

Time in the room must be going much faster, because he and Hinata still haven’t hit the monster, but both scenes feel like they’re going at the same pace. He knows instinctively that a lot of rules of the world don’t apply in this strange room, whatever it is.

“Soul Resonance,” he answers his own question aloud, surprising himself. But as soon as the words leave his lips, he knows them to be true. The room was created through his and Hinata’s resonance.

“Woah.”

Startled by the sound of another voice, Kageyama whips around and sees Hinata standing in the center of the room. He’s looking around the room with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape.

Hinata takes a step forward and Kageyama feels their souls jerk out of sync. Ripples emanate from the point where Hinata’s foot touches the ground, as if the ground is no longer solid. The sound of his step echoes strangely through the room.

Hinata looks at Kageyama with a pale face and wide eyes. Kageyama steps down from the dais and crosses the room to him, re-syncing their wavelength as he walks. Hinata’s wavelength fluctuates nervously, but evens out as Kageyama’s keeps pace.

Kageyama smirks. “I told you not to worry.”

Hinata mirrors his expression, though his smile is more uneasy. “You really are good at this. It’s a little annoying.”

Kageyama knows Hinata isn’t actually annoyed, not just because he knows Hinata, but because he can _feel_ it. In this place, Kageyama knows Hinata’s thoughts and emotions as if they were his own. It’s closer than he’s ever been to a person, and yet something inside him urges him to step forward, to close the gap even further.

As if called by the same force, Hinata takes a step towards him, sending ripples and another echoing sound out from the floor. Kageyama doesn’t have to try as hard to calm it this time.

Hinata’s eyes move up, farther than Kageyama’s face. Kageyama can feel a twinge of his amusement pass between them. “You’re wearing a crown.”

Kageyama just shrugs, letting his own confusion pass to Hinata and explain that he doesn’t know why either.

Hinata looks around the room once more. “So, this place is like… What? A throne room? A king’s court?”

As soon as he says the word _king_ , a tension forms between them. Hinata looks at Kageyama in surprise, obviously feeling his sudden apprehension. But there’s still some confusion coming from him, so their connection must not go deep enough for Hinata to see Kageyama’s memories as well.

“Is it… what Tsukishima said before? About being…” _The King of Rejections._ Hinata doesn’t have to say it aloud for both of them to think it.

_Yes, but that’s not all_ , Kageyama thinks, and he knows Hinata thinks it, too. “Let’s just focus on the fight,” he says. He’s grateful when Hinata nods in understanding. He gets the feeling that if Hinata really tried, he could dig into Kageyama’s thoughts and find the answer, but he doesn’t.

“So, what do we do?” Hinata asks. “It still feels like something here isn’t… done yet.”

“Our Resonance must not be solid yet,” Kageyama says. “There’s something about this room that’s supposed to help, I think.”

Hinata’s expression twists as he thinks, and he shifts his weight to one foot. As he does, more ripples form. Calming them is second nature to Kageyama at this point, but the echoing noise fills the air again.

“Huh,” Hinata says, looking down. “It almost sounds like…” He takes a few steps back, each one making its own sound. Hearing them one after another, Kageyama realizes they aren’t all the same. Each sound is a different pitch.

_Music_.

“Want to dance?” Kageyama asks before he really thinks about it.

Hinata steps forward and reaches up towards Kageyama’s neck. He grabs hold of the knot keeping Kageyama’s cape in place and undoes it, letting it fall to the ground. “So you don’t trip,” he explains, but Kageyama can feel something deeper in the gesture.

Kageyama reaches up and takes the crown off his head. He drops it on the cape and it doesn’t make a sound when it hits the ground.

Hinata reaches his hands out, but hesitates. Kageyama takes Hinata’s hands and places on one his waist and holds the other out. He places his free hand on Hinata’s shoulder. “You should lead. You’re the meister.”

They take a step together, and then another. Hinata’s feet send out ripples and Kageyama’s stop them in their tracks. The echoing noises become clear notes as they dance to a song neither of them realized they knew.

In the sewer, the end of Kageyama’s bo staff form glows with a brilliant light. It smashes down against the head of the monster, and the force of the blow sends out a gust of wind, kicking up dust all around them.

As the dust fades, so does the room, until Hinata is standing only in the sewer. Kageyama is in his hands and in front of him is a single shining orb. They’ve collected a soul.

“Hinata! Kageyama!” Daichi’s voice calls from above.

Kageyama detransforms and grabs the soul. “C’mon,” he says, starting to climb the rubble pile up to the gap in the ceiling above them.

“Right!” Hinata scrambles after.

When they crawl out of the hole, covered in dirt and holding a soul, the other members of their team look understandably shocked. Suga and Asahi rush to check their injuries, while Noya and Tanaka insist on knowing exactly what happened. Yamaguchi stares at the soul they’ve collected while Tsukishima makes a snide remark about the fall probably killing the monster.

“Alright, alright,” Daichi says. “That’s enough. I’m sure you both have plenty to tell us, but I think it’s time we all got back to Death City.” He takes the soul and adds it to the ones in his backpack.

The rest of the night is a blur. They tell their story several times over, get fussed over by Yachi in the infirmary (who goes pale at the sight of Hinata’s head wound), and are sent off to bed with promises of more information in the morning.

\--

That night, a witch stands over a ruined plaza in an abandoned town. The stones are dyed black with unnaturally dark blood.

The witch sighs as she surveys the wreckage. “There go my spell ingredients.” She reaches down and touches a dried black patch of blood. “Well, at least we’ve confirmed a few things about the black blood.”

The witch turns away from the plaza, towards a dark alley where another figure stands. “I think it’s time we move to the next phase of the plan, don’t you?”


	11. On the Horizon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hinata thinks about yesterday's mission and what lies ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think we all know the drill: sorry for disappearing, real life is busy, this is all written in my spare time, it probably will happen again.
> 
> Quick note, Kenma is agender in this fic, and I'm just going to write everyone using they/them pronouns right away so there's no misgendering and there doesn't have to be a coming-out thing every time they meet another character
> 
> Feel free to come talk to me on [my tumblr](http://basementtreasure.tumblr.com/)

When Hinata wakes the next morning, he wonders if he just dreamt the mission. The aches in his body and the bandage wrapped around his head confirm it to be true, though.

With a stifled groan, he turns over and looks towards Kageyama’s bed, finding only a lump where his unmade sheets were tossed off that morning. He stares for a while at the empty bed, thinking about their resonance. If he concentrates hard enough, he can still hear the song they made playing in his head.

The song hasn’t stopped since they first resonated, and Hinata wonders if it’s a memory or just a part of him now.

He forces himself out of the warmth of his bed with difficulty, and gets ready for the day. It’s a Sunday, so he doesn’t have to worry about classes. Instead, he heads for the cafeteria to grab breakfast. Maybe he’ll swing by the Trash Heap later. Class Nekoma is usually there, and it would be nice to talk to Lev or Kuroo about last night.

Once he’s at the cafeteria, he spots Kageyama sitting alone at a table near the wall. He brings over his breakfast and sits across from him. Kageyama acknowledges him with a nod.

A million questions about last night swirl in his head, but he doesn’t have the words to voice them. “Last night was…” he tries, trailing off.

“Yeah.”

Hinata takes a bite of his food to buy himself more time to respond. As he chews, he watches Kageyama’s face. His expression is as hard to read as ever.

“I didn’t expect Soul Resonance to be like that,” Hinata says.

“Me neither.” Kageyama look down at his plate, but doesn’t continue eating. “The textbooks never mentioned anything like that room.”

“I was planning to ask Noya and Asahi about it,” Hinata says. “They seemed to have a really strong resonance.”

“You can do that later today. Daichi came by our room while you were asleep and said we’re all supposed to go see Death this afternoon. I think it’s about the black blood.”

A chill runs down Hinata’s spine and he tries to suppress the shudder. He’d been unprepared for the monsters on their mission, and now they’re going to have an audience with a _god_. He is going to meet Death himself.

For some reason, the song in his head grows a little louder. He looks at Kageyama and finds him staring back at Hinata with concern in his eyes.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Hinata takes a breath in time with the music. He can almost feel Kageyama’s hand in his, like when they danced together. He gave Kageyama a smile. “I’ll be fine.”

Kageyama nods, the concern in his eyes gone. The song in Hinata’s head fades back into a soft, ambient sound.

Hinata finishes his breakfast quickly, and _definitely_ before Kageyama, because even if it wasn’t a race, he won. He asks if Kageyama wants to go down into town with him to the Trash Heap, but Kageyama declines. So, Hinata finds himself walking into Death City himself.

The city is more bustling than usual, and DWMA students swarm the streets, hanging banners and other decorations. A couple older students are directing the others. It looks like a festival is about to begin. The decorations are all only half set-up, so Hinata can’t tell what it’s about yet.

He manages to push his way past the thickest part of the crowd and onto the much more deserted street where the Trash Heap sits. The bell above the door announces his presence, and he makes his way towards Class Nekoma’s usual meeting spot.

The usual chaos greets him: Kuroo holding Yaku’s textbook above his head, Yamamoto laughing loudly, and Inuoka and Lev passing back and forth snacks that they really shouldn’t have in the store.

“Hinata!” Lev says excitedly through a mouthful of chips. He pats the seat next to him. “You had your first mission yesterday, right?”

“Oh, yeah!” Kuroo says, distracted momentarily from Yaku, who snatches his book back and promptly uses it to smack Kuroo’s shoulder. Kuroo gives him a light shove back, but keeps his attention focused on Hinata. “How’d it go?”

“Well, we defeated all the evil souls,” Hinata says uncertainly.

Picking up on his tone, Kuroo leans forward curiously. “Did something go wrong?”

Hinata begins telling them about the mission: the black blood, the monsters’ strange behavior, and how he and Kageyama resonated. He even tells them about the weird room they appeared in, and the music in the back of his head grows stronger as he speaks, seeming to respond to his nervousness.

The others listen in rapt attention. Even Lev is silent, no exclamations or questions. When he’s done telling the story, Hinata looks towards Inuoka and Yamamoto, the most experienced students, and asks, “Does that normally happen when you resonate?”

“The Soul Room?” Inuoka says. Hinata feels a little better to learn it has a name. At least that means it happens to other people, too. “It’s a little uncommon, but a lot of partners with strong connections can manifest a space like that.”

“Don’t worry too much about it,” Yamamoto adds. “It just means you and Kageyama are really in sync. Like good partners should be.” He holds his hand up and Inuoka gives him a high-five without looking.

Yaku narrows his eyes at them. “You two have practiced that, haven’t you?” Yamamoto and Inuoka don’t answer.

Lev lets out a loud sigh and drapes himself onto the arm of Yaku’s chair. “I want to resonate with Yaku, too. It sounds awesome.”

Hinata feels a smile come to his face unbidden. “It was pretty awesome.”

“So, you and Kageyama are working out well?” Lev asks.

Hinata suddenly remembers an awful lot of angry ranting about Kageyama that Lev endured. He feels his face heat as he says, “Yeah, well, he’s still annoying.”

Kuroo looks over at Yaku and raises an eyebrow, which must make some sort of sense to him, because he smacks Kuroo’s arm and makes a face at him.

Kuroo reaches over and ruffles Hinata’s hair. “Good for you. Annoyance aside, it’s pretty great you’ve finally found a partner that you have such a strong connection with.”

Hinata smiles and lets himself sink contently into his chair. The others launch back into another conversation, and Hinata interjects every now and then, but mostly his mind wanders to the Soul Room. It feels less like a dream now. It’s a stepping stone to making a Death Scythe. If he and Kageyama work even harder, they’ll be able to use Soul Resonance to defeat a whole bunch of monsters and get even stronger. They’ll make it one day, and Hinata plans to make that day come soon.

As morning turns to midday, the meeting with Death draws near. Hinata excuses himself, intending to go find Kageyama so they can go together, like partners (the word still makes his chest flutter giddily—he has a _partner_ ). Kuroo wishes him luck, and Lev gives him a big thumbs-up as he takes his leave.

By the time he’s out on the streets of Death City, the students setting up decorations have thinned out, and Hinata can read one of the banners: _DWMA Anniversary Celebration!_ He looks around and finds flyers posted that advertise a party to be held on campus to celebrate the founding of the DWMA.

He is so distracted by the flyers and decorations that he doesn’t notice the person in front of him until he sends them both tumbling to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

“Sorry!” he yelps, pulling away quickly. He’s able to prop himself up with his arms so that he’s no longer laying on top of the other person.

“It’s fine,” they say with a voice like a sigh. They make no effort get up themself; they simply wait for Hinata to struggle to his feet.

“I’m so sorry,” Hinata says again, offering his hand. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.” They take his hand, and Hinata gets a better look at them as they stand up: bleached hair that falls into their eyes, a white button-up shirt, and a simple black skirt that goes down to their knees.

“It’s really okay,” they say, looking at Hinata through their hair. Their fingers fiddle with the strap of a small backpack slung over their shoulders.

“Hey, are you a student here? I haven’t seen you around.”

They nod and curl into themselves a little more. “I don’t get out much, I guess. I was just heading back to campus, so…” They take a step back, as if to start walking off, but Hinata interrupts with a smile.

“I’m heading there, too! We can walk together!” He falls into step with them and starts for campus. “I’m Hinata, by the way. Hinata Shouyou.”

“I’m Kenma,” they say softly. They seem to be content to walk without speaking more, but Hinata was never one for letting silence go unfilled.

“So, all that stuff for the DWMA Anniversary celebration looked pretty cool.”

Kenma shrugs. “I guess.”

“How long have you been a student? Have you been to an anniversary before? I’m so curious what it’s like.”

“No, this would be my first.”

Hinata pauses and furrows his eyebrows. “You’re a first year? But all the first years were in the same NOT class. I just got moved to EAT this semester.”

Kenma keeps their gaze straight ahead. “Oh, I started out in EAT.”

As the pair of them approach the long stairway to the school, Kenma climbs briskly, and Hinata has to struggle to keep up, continually asking more questions.

“How’d you find a partner, then?”

“I don’t fight with a partner.”

“You can do that?”

“Some demon weapons can.”

“So, you’re a weapon?”

“Yeah.”

“What class are you in?”

“Nekoma.”

“Oh! I know people in Nekoma! Are you friends with—?"

“I don’t really talk to people in class.”

“What about your team?”

“Don’t have one. I only do solo missions.”

“Wow! You’re really cool, Kenma!”

At this, Kenma stops climbing and turns to face Hinata with genuine surprise in their eyes. “You… think so?”

“Definitely!” Hinata says excitedly. “You must be really good to keep up with everyone else on your own. Doesn’t everyone else tell you that?”

Kenma shrugs and breaks eye contact. “I’m not really… good around people. I think they usually don’t like me very much.”

“Then you must not be hanging around the right people. Oh! How about I introduce you to my team at the anniversary party? They’re all really nice. My partner Kageyama is kind of grumpy, but I think he just takes some getting used to. And you should also meet my friends from Class Nekoma! I’m sure you’d all get along.”

Kenma backs away from Hinata nervously. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Hinata says quickly, scared he might frighten Kenma off by being too much too quickly (it wouldn’t be the first time he’s heard that). “I just thought you might like to make some friends.”

Kenma’s eyes narrow almost imperceptibly, and Hinata feels open in the way he did when Kageyama first stared at his soul. But Kenma’s eyes aren’t on Hinata’s chest, where he knows his soul is nestled under skin and muscle. They’re staring at Hinata’s face, picking apart his expression. Hinata feels like a book in a language he himself doesn’t understand.

“You want to be my friend?” Kenma asks, a tinge of disbelief coloring their voice. The image in Hinata’s mind of a cool, calculating Kenma fades away, and he sees the truth written on their face, the face of someone nervous and alone, who doesn’t want to get their hopes up too high.

“Absolutely,” Hinata says. He swears Kenma’s face is just a touch pinker when they duck their head and let their hair shield it from Hinata’s view. They begin climbing the steps again, and Hinata lets them walk a few steps ahead, since it seems to make them more comfortable when he can’t see their face.

They reach the top of the stairs without any more conversation, but Kenma does seem to relax. They slow down to walk next to Hinata and let their eyes peek out from the curtain of their hair. When they finally step onto the DWMA campus proper at the top of the steps, Hinata turns to them.

“I’ve got to go. How about we meet up again at the anniversary?”

Kenma hesitates, but nods. “Okay. I’ll see you there.”

Hinata gives him a big grin before rushing off for the meeting with Death.

\--

The path to the Death Room passes through a long row of arches shaped like guillotines, until it ends in a circular platform surrounded by a sandy graveyard, which is, you know, not terrifying at all. Hinata walks just a little bit closer to Kageyama than he normally does.

Their entire team gathers on the platform, and Hinata sees Lord Death for the first time. His body is more shadow than substance, the only clear feature being a plain- looking skull mask (is it even a mask, or just his face?) set where his head should be.

The older students bow and Hinata follows suit. Death turns to face them and Hinata is struck with the near-ridiculousness of the situation. He’s in a meeting with a _god_ , a being older than Hinata could possibly comprehend, with powers he probably couldn’t imagine, who also happens to be the principal of his school.

“Ah, the Class Karasuno team! Glad to see you all made it back from your mission without major injury!” Death says, sounding much more human than Hinata expected. “Now, about the strange events you witnessed…”

Death waves a hand that wasn’t there before and a table appears in the center of the platform. Ten familiar souls float above the surface of the table, and a small vial of black blood sits just below them.

“The souls are completely normal for evil souls,” Death explains. “Your weapons can purify them, no problem. The real concern is this.” Death picks up the vial of blood and holds it towards the students. “An evil soul killed by a demon weapon will leave behind no trace of its body. This blood is not from the enemies you defeated. It seems to had been… injected into each monster for some reason.”

“Why would someone do that?” Daichi speaks up. Hinata is a little impressed by his ability to just start talking to Death.

“Well, this is no ordinary blood. It seems to have been responsible for the evil souls being harder to defeat than we first thought. I will be looking into this. For now, you all should relax and enjoy the festival coming up. And take the souls. Now that we know they’re safe, you’ve earned them.”

Daichi steps forward to accept the souls. He bows once more to Death and leads his team out of the Death Room. The second they are out of sight, they erupt into frantic whispers.

“Someone _injected_ monsters with that stuff?”

“What were they trying to do?”

“Why aren’t we the ones investigating? _We_ found it!”

“ _Do you think it’s a witch?”_

Silence falls at Tanaka’s final question. Hinata doesn’t know much about witches except that they’re powerful and would love to undo the order that Death brings to the world. A witch’s soul is the last thing a demon weapon needs to become a Death Scythe, and just the mention of one brings concern to Tanaka’s voice and quiet to their usually rowdy team. It’s enough for Hinata to know that witches are serious business.

“Lord Death said he’d be looking into it,” Suga says. His voice is soft and warm, as always. “The situation is completely under control. He has the Death Scythes if anything is really wrong. We should take his advice and enjoy the festival. It’s a great time for partners to bond, after all.” That last parts seems directly mostly to Hinata and Kageyama. Which, okay, their relationship hasn’t been the _smoothest_ , but they’re doing just fine.

“And, for now, we have these.” Daichi steps forward and holds up the souls they gathered. “Noya, you guys took out three.” He hands three souls over to the trio, and Tanaka and Asahi start discussing how the two of them will split them.

“Tsukishima, you and Yamaguchi got two.” Tsukishima nods and Yamaguchi takes the two souls.

“Hinata, Kageyama.” Daichi holds out a single soul. Hinata gingerly takes it in his hands. It’s colder and more solid than he expected. The light in its center flickers like a tiny flame between his fingers. He takes it over to Kageyama.

“Is this how souls always look to you?”

“No, everyone’s is a little different.” Kageyama gives him a calculating look that Hinata has learned means that he’s focusing on Hinata’s wavelength. “Be careful, you’re starting to mimic it. If you go crazy and turn evil, I’m not cleaning up after you.”

Hinata makes a sour face at him. “Don’t ruin my good mood. This is our first real progress to making you a Death Scythe. Aren’t you excited?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Kageyama’s voice is flatter than usual. He doesn’t take his eyes off the soul.

Hinata pouts at him. “Come on, you don’t really think I’m falling for that. What could possibly be wrong? This is great.”

Kageyama pauses for several seconds. He exhales through his nose, resigned that Hinata won’t be pleased with anything less than the truth now. “You aren’t the one who has to eat it.”

Hinata tries very hard not to laugh, and nearly succeeds.

Kageyama hunches his shoulders defensively. “Well, I’ve never done it before! I don’t know what it’s like!”

Hinata holds the soul up to him. “Now’s as good a time as any to try,” he says, fighting down another snicker.

Kageyama glares at him and snatches the soul out of his hand, tilts his head back, and swallows the soul down.

“So, what was it like?”

“Weird.”

“Huh. Descriptive.”

“Shut up.”

“Race you to lunch?” Hinata doesn’t even finish his sentence before Kageyama is running, and he isn’t far behind, grabbing at the back of Kageyama jacket in an attempt to slow him down.

A melody that he’s starting to get used to plays in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kenma's here! And a student at DWMA? But how does that fit in with Kuroo's super thinly-veiled mystery partner? :O
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, and I'll try to be back soon!


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